Harippad shooting: Cops catch absconding accused

Alappuzha: Police have arrested the absconding accused who shot dead his neighbour following a family dispute at Pallipad in Haripad here.

Prasad (52), an ex-serviceman who had fled from the scene along with the double-barrel gun with which he fatally shot his relative Soman (55) on Monday evening, was apprehended from the Trippakudam area late on Tuesday.

Police arrested Haridas (46), Prasad's brother, soon after the crime.

The probe team who collected CCTV footage of the absconding accused, launched an all-out effort to nab him. The police team even tracked him to the Trippakudam area, but the accused hid in a dense thicket there.

The cops surrounded the area and launched searches with the help of local residents. They used a drone to locate his hiding place. 

“He was carrying the gun. So, we decided to wait for him to come out, as we knew he would be desperate to get some water and food. We had surrounded the thicket from all sides,” the police said.

Tired and desperate after having not eaten food for hours, Prasad finally gave himself up. The police also recovered the double-barrel gun.

“The neighbours were relatives. But they were divided by a 15-year-long property dispute. There was another murder that happened earlier as a result of the confrontations. A serious dispute broke out between Haridas and Soman on Monday. Prasad came to his brother’s defence and had a heated argument before shooting Soman dead,” a police officer said.

After retiring from the Army, Prasad was working as a security staff in a bank vehicle that carries money to ATMs.