Arjun Ayanki sent to police custody for three days

KANNUR: A court in Thalassery has remanded Arjun Ayanki, who is currently lodged in Thalassery sub-jail, in police custody for three days in connection with a case registered over allegedly insulting the Home Minister through social media.

The Thalassery Chief Judicial Magistrate Court granted the Kannur Cyber Police custody of Ayanki until 11.30am on Friday. The police had sought five days' custody to recover the mobile phone allegedly used to post the Facebook message against the Home Minister.

The prosecution told the court that the mobile phone allegedly used for the offence had not yet been recovered and that Ayanki had misled the investigation team by keeping another phone with him.
The defence opposed the custody plea, arguing that the police had taken the phone into custody during a body search and that the investigation team was attempting to create false evidence.

The defence also questioned the police request to recover an iPhone 16 Pro without specifying its name, IMEI number or brand in the custody application. The defence asked how the police had arrived at the conclusion that an iPhone 16 Pro could be recovered from the accused in connection with the investigation.

Defence lawyer Harris told the media that the court had granted only three days' custody instead of the five days sought by the police after being convinced by the arguments raised by the defence. Meanwhile, steps to invoke the Kerala Anti-Social Activities (Prevention) Act (KAAPA) against Ayanki have also been intensified. A decision is expected within a week. The investigation team is also looking into those who allegedly helped Ayanki remain in hiding.

‘I did everything’

While being taken into a police vehicle from the court premises, Ayanki said: “I did everything. That is all I have to say.”