Kochi: The Ernakulam South police on Friday took into custody a youth for creating a ruckus at the Kerala State Beverages Corporation (Bevco) outlet near Ravipuram here, while search was on for his accomplice who threw a petrol bomb at the shop.
An employee of the outlet and a consumer suffered injuries in the attack. The man in custody is Sonu Kumar (25), a native of Edavanakkad, while his friend Bonney is at large.
Sonu had reached the outlet at 10 am to buy liquor and allegedly misbehaved with a woman employee before quarreling with her colleague. He returned with Bonney and they quarrelled with the staff.
The police reached there and took Sonu into custody while Bonney fled. However, he returned around 1 pm, wearing a mask and carrying a bottle filled with petrol. He threw the bottle at an employee who was returning from the police station after deposing before the cops.
The outlet manager said the employees were lucky to escape as Bonney's alleged attempt to set the outlet on fire failed. "If there was a fire, the entire area would have been under flames,” he said.
Police sources said Bonney is a history-sheeter. The injured employee and the consumer, a native of Vypeen, sought medical treatment.
Employees outfit protests
Registering their protest, the Bevco Employees Association sought strict legal action against the culprits. Association's state vice president R Sisukumar in a statement urged the government to provide permanent police protection to outlets to avoid incidents that pose a threat to the life of the employees.
