Kochi (Kerala), Nov 17 (PTI) The Kerala Police on Sunday confirmed that the notorious gang of 'Kuruva thieves' was behind the recent thefts that occurred in Alappuzha district.
Two people from Tamil Nadu were taken into custody from Kundannoor in Kochi on Saturday night. They were part of the infamous gang of 'Kuruva thieves', police said.
According to the police, the gang from Tamil Nadu is specialised in theft and is known to resort to violence or even murder if met with resistance. Their involvement is suspected in recent thefts in Alappuzha and Ernakulam districts.
The Alappuzha police on Saturday detained two individuals, Santhosh Selvam and Manikandan, from Kundanoor in connection with thefts reported at Mannancherry in Alappuzha district on October 29.
However, Selvam escaped from police custody and after an hours-long search conducted jointly by the Kochi City Police and Alappuzha Police, he was arrested from a marshy area near the Kundanoor flyover on Saturday night, police said.
In the early hours of Sunday, the police conducted evidence collection with Selvam at Mannanchery, where the investigation indicated his involvement in the theft, police added.
Alappuzha Deputy SP M R Madhu Babu, who is heading the investigation, stated that Selvam is a member of the 'Kuruva gang' which is currently camping in the state.
"A group of 12 to 14 members of the 'Kuruva thieves' gang, all hailing from Kamachipuram in Tamil Nadu, is currently in the state", he said.
He further added that Selvam is involved in 18 cases in Tamil Nadu and eight cases in Kerala. "He confessed to being involved in over 30 cases," the officer said.
Police sources said that while escorting the two suspects to the police vehicle, a group of women, some carrying toddlers, confronted and blocked the officers. With no women officers in the team to manage the situation, Selvam managed to escape, despite being handcuffed, sources added.
Meanwhile, dramatic scenes unfolded on Sunday in front of the Mannanchery police station, as a group of women claiming to be relatives of the suspects protested, alleging that the accused were wrongfully implicated in the Alappuzha robbery case.
Police said the women argued that they earned a livelihood by rag-picking and arrived only three days back in Kundannoor but their claims were found baseless. "The role of these women in the thefts will also be investigated," a police officer said.