After a year-long probe, the police on Monday (February 10, 2025) arrested a Purameri native who was at large in connection with a major hit-and-run case at Vadakara in Kozhikode district of Kerala that claimed the life of an elderly woman from Thalassery and left her nine year-old granddaughter in a state of coma.
Methil Punathil Shajeel, the accused, was nabbed when he arrived at the Coimbatore airport from Dubai following repatriation measures.
A look-out notice had been issued against him after the police identified the vehicle involved in the fatal accident which took place on the national highway at Chorode in Kozhikode district on February 17, 2024.
According to the police, Shakeel allegedly hit the 68-year-old woman, identified as Baby, at high speed and her grandchild, Drishana, while they were crossing the road around 10 p.m. The elderly woman succumbed to injuries on the spot, while her grandchild was admitted to the Kozhikode Medical College Hospital in a state of coma.
The man reportedly fled the spot and got his vehicle repaired as part of the to cover up the incident. According to police sources, he also claimed insurance benefits to get the repairs done at a private workshop in Vadakara. It was after a 10-month-long marathon investigation that the police managed to track the vehicle involved in the accident and the suspect who fled to Dubai on March 14, 2024.
Vital clue
A senior police officer who was part of the investigation team said the only clue with the squad was the description given by an autorickshaw driver identifying the first two digits of the number plate of the suspected white car. Lacking any other concrete evidence, the squad was in a situation to check the details of about 19,000 vehicles and closed circuit television camera visuals within a 40-km radius of the crime spot.
At the time of the accident, Shajeel’s wife and two children were reportedly there in the vehicle. Though he was initially evasive about the incident, the scientific investigation by the police unravelled his role. His family members who travelled in the vehicle also revealed further details of the incident.
Repatriation measures were initiated against him after he was booked under Section 304 A (causing death by negligence or a rash act not amounting to culpable homicide) of the Indian Penal Code (IPC). His anticipatory bail application in the court had also been rejected citing the seriousness of the case and the condition of the child who sustained fatal injuries.
The Crime Branch squad led by Deputy Superintendent of Police V.V. Benny said the suspect was exposed after examining about 50,000 phone calls, 500 spare parts stores and recording the statement of about 500 people from various locations in around Vadakara. They said the details of insurance claims by the suspect finally helped the squad crack the case.
Published – February 10, 2025 12:32 pm IST