KOLLAM: Notorious criminal Vadival Vineeth was arrested by the Kollam police on Thursday morning. He was arrested while trying to escape from Chadayamangalam in a stolen car. Vineeth was caught in an adventurous manner by the police.

The police were behind Vineeth ever since he attempted to steal money from a petrol pump in Kilimanoor at around 2 am on Thursday. He managed to escape from the pump on a bullet and later abandoned it in Chadayamangalam before stealing a car. He then drove towards Kollam.

By then, a large number of policemen were deployed by the Kollam city commissioner. Vineeth's car was blocked at Kadappakkada. He was finally caught with the help of locals.

Vineeth will be produced before the court on Friday. Though he was caught by the Perumbavoor police in November 2020, he somehow managed to escape while kept under observation at the COVID primary centre. Since then, he was involved in 20 thefts.