Kerala Police

The latest instance of malpractice was reported from the Kottakkal Municipality in Malappuram district of Kerala, where a targeted audit revealed 38 out of 42 pension recipients were ineligible

One person was killed and 13 others injured when a tourist bus lost control and turned turtle in this district early on Saturday, police said. The incident occurred when the bus was proceeding to Udupi in neighbouring Karnataka from Thiruvananthapuram. "The driver might have dozed off at the wheel. It was a slope and the bus went down after losing control," a police officer said. The deceased man got trapped beneath the vehicle and his life could not be saved though he was rushed to a nearby hospital, they added.

Four persons were arrested on Saturday in connection with the blast near Panur here a day ago that claimed one life and caused injuries to three others, police said. Police said that the arrested accused, the three injured persons and the one who died, all of them were CPI(M) workers or supporters, a claim that has been denied by the Left party. A senior officer of Panur police station said that they have arrested Shebin Lal, K Atul, K K Arun and Sayooj all of whom were allegedly present when the country-made bomb being made had exploded. Sayooj was caught from Palakkad while allegedly trying to escape to Coimbatore in neighbouring Tamil Nadu, police said. Three others -- Vineesh, Vinod and Ashwanth -- who were also injured in the blast are undergoing treatment, it added. CPI(M) state secretary M V Govindan said that the party has no connection with those involved in the incident as they had attacked party members in the past. He said there was no need for the party to make weapo

Police here have filed two cases against several persons in connection with the protests faced by the BJP candidate for the Kollam Lok Sabha seat, G Krishnakumar, when he visited an educational institution in the district for canvassing. The cases were booked last night based on two complaints, one by a BJP member and another by ABVP activists, alleging unlawful assembly, rioting with weapons and causing hurt to members of both organisations by the accused persons. Police have booked seven persons for the offences of unlawful assembly, rioting, rioting with weapons, wrongful restraint, use of obscene words and songs and voluntarily causing hurt under the IPC. An officer of Kundara police station, where the cases have been filed, said that the accused persons have been summoned for recording their statements. Actor-turned-politician Krishnakumar had strongly condemned the protests against him on Wednesday when he visited the campus of the Industrial Training Institute at Chandanthop

A 14-member police team conducting a combing operation in a dense forest area in this north Kerala district got lost during their return journey but was rescued early Wednesday morning by the Forest department's rapid response team. The police team, which also included the Agali DySP, had gone to the Attappady forest after getting information about cannabis cultivation going on there. The team found the cannabis cultivation and destroyed it, but the operation took time and it got dark while returning which resulted in them getting lost deep inside the forest, the DySP told the media. He said that mobile networks were not available in many places and when they got connectivity, they informed the Forest department which dispatched a Rapid Response Team (RRT). "The RRT team reached us around 1 am and then using GPS helped us come out of the forest," the DySP said. He also said that there were wild animal-related problems, but the team was prepared to handle them. A member of the RRT

A case has been registered based on the complaints filed against the alleged use of fake voter ID cards during the Youth Congress organisational polls, Kerala police said on Saturday. Police said a comprehensive probe will be conducted into the allegations and a special investigation team comprising eight members have been formed in this regard. Police have registered an FIR invoking various provisions of the Indian Penal Code (IPC) including sections 468 (forgery for purpose of cheating) and 471 (Using as genuine a forged document). Thiruvananthapuram DCP, Nithin Raj told the media that the alleged mobile application used for creating the fake IDs, its developer, and other relevant matters will come under the probe. "We will investigate the issue behind the forged voter ID cards and those who made and used such documents. A comprehensive probe will be held," he said. The Chief Electoral Officer of Kerala had on Friday directed the state police to investigate complaints of alleged

Police on Thursday carried out a thorough search of the state Secretariat, the administrative complex here, after receiving a bomb threat. According to sources, a threatening call claiming that explosives would be detonated within the Secretariat complex was received at the police control room. In immediate response, police personnel, aided by sniffer dogs, conducted thorough searches both inside and outside the Secretariat premises. Even parked vehicles and nearby shops were not exempted from scrutiny. Unconfirmed reports say that the perpetrator behind the call has been identified by the police.

Kerala Police on Saturday said it has registered 54 cases for spreading communally instigative contents through social media in the aftermath of the recent blasts at a Christian prayer meet near Kalamassery in Kochi. Police said the most number of 26 cases was registered in Malappuram district, followed by 15 in Ernakulam and five cases Thiruvananthapuram. Thrissur City and Kottayam have reported two cases each, while Pathanamthitta, Alappuzha, Palakkad and Kozhikode Rural have one case each. Police, in a release, said they have identified numerous fake profiles which have been used to share posts that can instigate communal hatred. "Requests have been made to Facebook, Instagram, X, WhatsApp and other social media platforms to identify the IP addresses of such fake profiles. The cyber cell in the state is functioning round the clock to identify such handles," the release said.

A death threat against Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan was received at the state police headquarters here, police said on Thursday. The threat was made over a phone call to the control room of the police headquarters on Wednesday evening, it said. On being asked whether a minor boy made that call as stated in news reports, police said they were investigating all angles. A case has been registered in connection with the incident at Museum police station under sections 118(b) and 120(o) of the Kerala Police Act against the phone number used to make the threat, it said. Section 118(b) deals with knowingly spreading rumours or giving false alarms to mislead the police, fire brigade or any other essential service and section 120(o) deals with causing, through any means of communication, a nuisance of himself to any person by repeated or undesirable or anonymous call, letter, writing, message, e-mail or through a messenger.

A case has been registered against Union Minister of State Rajeev Chandrasekhar for allegedly making statements that promote enmity between different groups, police said on Tuesday. The Kerala police registered the FIR on its own in connection with the minister's recent statements on social media regarding the Kochi blasts and a Hamas leader's virtual address at an event organised by an Islamist group in Malappuram district of the state recently. A senior officer of Kochi city police said that an FIR under sections 153A (promoting enmity between different groups on grounds of religion, race, place of birth, residence) of the IPC and section 120 (o) (causing nuisance and violation of public order) of the Kerala Police Act has been registered against the minister. After reports of the bomb blasts at a religious gathering of Jehovah's Witnesses in Kalamassery near here came out on Sunday, Minister of State for Electronics and Information Technology Chandrasekhar put up posts on social

The Vigilance Wing of the Kerala Police has intensified its probe against KPCC chief K Sudhakaran on a complaint of graft and misappropriation of funds filed by his former driver two years ago. As part of its investigation, the Vigilance and Anti-Corruption Bureau (VACB) has sought the details of the income sources of his wife. In a notice dated June 15, the VACB Kozhikode unit sought the service particulars and salary details of Smitha Sudhakaran from the school authorities where she was working. The Vigilance bureau has sought details like the net salary, including Pay/DA, leave surrender, and other details, for a period starting in 2001. According to the complaint lodged by his former driver, Prashanth Babu, in 2021, Sudhakaran allegedly siphoned off Rs 32 crore from the funds received by the K Karunakaran Trust for building a memorial to Congress stalwart and former Kerala chief minister Karunakaran-- a project that never took off. The complaint also alleges that the KPCC ...

A tiff has broken out between the state police and the Kerala State Electricity Board (KSEB) over the non-payment of dues

Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan on Sunday said police need to be better prepared to ensure security of the public when dealing with dangerous situations, as sometimes unexpected incidents may happen -- in an apparent reference to the recent killing of a young doctor at a taluk hospital in the state despite the presence of officers there. Dr Vandana Das was stabbed several times at Kottarakara taluk hospital in Kollam district by a G Sandeep, a school teacher who was brought there for treatment by the police in the wee hours of Wednesday morning. She succumbed to her injuries a few hours later. Vijayan said that police often work in dangerous situations and their priority is always to ensure public safety and security. "However, some unexpected situations arise and therefore they need to be better prepared to deal with the same," he said in his speech after inaugurating the new building of the Thrissur Rural District Police Headquarters at Irinjalakuda here. Vijayan also said

Kerala police on Sunday arrested a man who allegedly sent a letter threatening a suicide bomb attack on Prime Minister Narendra Modi who will be visiting the state on April 24 and 25 to take part in various programmes. Kochi resident Xavier, who runs a business in the city, was arrested by police for allegedly writing the threatening letter in the name of another person. "We have arrested the man after probing the matter in a scientific manner. This was part of a personal vendetta. He wanted the person mentioned in the letter to be arrested," City Police Commissioner K Sethu Raman told PTI. The letter in Malayalam, written in the name of Kochi resident N J Johny, was received at the office of BJP state president K Surendran who in turn handed it over to the police last week. The news of the letter came out on Saturday after a report by ADGP (Intelligence) was telecast in the media. After the news was out, Surendran met the media and said he had handed over the threatening letter a

The probe team has found out that he was travelling alone from Delhi and though he took a ticket to Kozhikode, he got down at Shornur on April 2nd morning

Launching a massive crackdown on anti-social elements, Kerala police on Sunday arrested more than 2,500 people across the state. Police, in a statement, said 2,507 persons were arrested across the state as part of its initiative to curb anti-social activities in Kerala. The arrests were made after raiding 3,501 places since February 4 and registered a total of 1,673 cases, the State Police Chief's Office said. Thiruvananthapuram recorded the maximum number of arrests with 333 but the most number of cases were registered in Kannur district -- 257. The action came after a rise in anti-social activities being reported in the state. Thrissur recorded 301 arrests followed by Kozhikode and Kannur with 272 and 271 cases, respectively. Following Kannur, Thiruvananthapuram and Thrissur registered 239 and 214 cases, respectively.

The Kerala police on Wednesday said that investigation has not reached a stage to suggest involvement of any extremist groups in the recent incidents of violence at Vizhinjam here. Thiruvananthapuram Range DIG R Nishanthini, who has been appointed as a special officer in charge of security arrangement and law and order in the area, also said the police was going to take stringent and legal action against those accused in the 163 cases lodged till now in connection with the anti-seaport protests and violence. Speaking to reporters here, the senior officer also said the National Investigation Agency (NIA) was not part of her meeting with officers in connection with the protests and violence at Vizhinjam, and that she cannot say whether it has sought any details or information from the Kerala police. On being asked why no one has been arrested yet in connection with the attack on the Vizhinjam police station on the night of November 27, the officer said that the investigative process w

Members of the Hindu United Front have vowed to walk to the port in Vizhinjam, on the southern tip of India, to pledge their support for a project they say will create jobs in the region

The protests are expected to cast shadow on the completion of the first phase of the project in December 2023

The Kerala Police have registered an FIR on the Vizhinjam clashes and the Archbishop of the Latin Catholic Diocese, Thomas J. Netto has been named as the first accused