Man who cut power in CM’s constituency caught after fleeing to Pune

KOCHI: A man accused of removing the fuse from a KSEB transformer in North Paravur, the constituency of Chief Minister V.D. Satheesan, has been taken into police custody in Pune. The accused, Vishnu, a native of Kaitharam, was taken into custody from the Maharashtra city after fleeing Kerala following the incident.

CCTV footage showing the accused removing the transformer fuse at night and leaving the spot had surfaced earlier. The incident occurred last month at the Kaitharam North transformer, following which officials of the KSEB Ezhikkara section lodged a complaint with the police.

Meanwhile, similar incidents of fuse removal were reported at transformers in Ettiyodam at Perumpadanna under the Paravur section and in the Chakkathara and Avutti areas under the Ezhikkara section. The incidents left the affected areas without electricity for several hours.

The incidents had triggered political allegations. The CPI(M) had alleged that Vishnu had links with the Congress, while the Congress accused the CPI(M) of attempting to disrupt power supply in the Chief Minister’s constituency.

However, the police said the accused had no links with any political party and that the act stemmed from an antisocial attitude aimed at causing inconvenience to local residents.