The Special Intensive Revision (SIR) and the updation of the voters' list may have caused quite a stir in Kerala. Kumily police have no complaints, though. Poring over rows of names on the list, the cops chanced upon leads that directed them to two fugitives who have been absconding for a long time.

The Kumily police deftly made use of the voters' list to crack two long-pending cases and arrested the accused, who had dodged the law for years by frequently changing identities and shifting hideouts.

17-year chase ends in a daring undercover operation
The police arrested Chola Ayyappan (45), a member of the notorious Kuruva gang, wanted in multiple theft cases registered in 2008 at the Kumily station. Three co-accused were arrested long ago, but Ayyappan had remained out of reach for 17 years, leaving him to non-bailable warrants.

Civil Police Officer M Maariyappan, who was assigned to revive the case a year ago, said the biggest challenge was locating him inside Koyathoppu village in Kamakshipuram, Theni district — a territory even local police fear to enter. “His address was there in the case files, but the officers who probed the case earlier couldn’t even confirm whether he still lived there. Thief gangs rarely stay in their native villages while active. They come home once in two or three months, and even then they won’t show up in public,” said Maariyappan. “Back in 2008, they didn’t use phones either, so tracking them was nearly impossible.”

The village is infamous for collectively shielding its men. “Women aggressively confront any outsider. It’s a frightening place to enter,” Maariyappan added.

When the revision of electoral rolls began, Maariyappan saw a narrow window of opportunity. He contacted local Booth Level Officers (BLOs), who were updating voter information. They provided recently collected photographs and Aadhaar details, confirming Ayyappan was still living there.

To verify personally, Maariyappan went undercover as an assistant to the BLOs, carrying SIR forms door to door. Fluent in Tamil, he blended in without raising suspicion. “I reached his house, but he wasn’t home that day. Still, I confirmed his identity, new photograph and contact details,” he said.

The officer also learned that Ayyappan worked as a scrap collector and came home only on weekends. His phone number was traced and monitored.

On November 21, the police tracked his location to Aandipetty, about 50 km away from his home. Maariyappan, along with Kumily SI Mithun Ashok and CPO C P Ratheesh, set out to arrest him. “As we approached, his location began moving. Then his phone switched off. From the route, I understood he was heading back to his village. We followed him. It was dark by then,” he recalled.

The moment the officers reached Ayyappan’s house and tried to take him into custody, chaos erupted. Women from the neighbourhood surrounded the team, shouting abuses and blocking every move. “They were screaming, ready to attack. When we tried to take him out, they smashed the side glass of our vehicle. It was terrifying,” said Maariyappan.

Despite the resistance, the officers managed to secure the accused and drive them out. Ayyappan was produced before the Peermade court and remanded into judicial custody. He is an accused in different cases in Pala, Pallikkathodu, Manimala, and also in police stations in Malappuram as well.

Voters' list exposes 7-year-old fraud suspect
In another operation, Kumily police arrested Salahudheen (62) from Vattiyoorkavu, Thiruvananthapuram, an accused in 10 fraud cases, including a homestay rental scam in Kumily seven years ago, all of which now carry non-bailable, long-pending warrants. He had rented a homestay at Rosapookandam and secretly leased it to someone else, cheating both the owner and the subtenant

“The address in the case file was of his wife’s house in Kollam, and they were not in contact. He had changed addresses repeatedly over the years. We had been trying to trace him for three months,” said CPO Ratheesh, who was part of the probe team.

When updated voter lists for the local body elections were released, police checked his voter ID details and found that he had cast his vote in the last Lok Sabha election from Menamkulam. BLOs verified his current address and collected Aadhaar details.

Ratheesh, along with SHO Abhilash Kumar and CPO Shinomon, reached his home, where he was living as a real estate agent, and presented themselves as officials verifying Aadhaar information. The arrest was swift and peaceful. “He was living with his wife and children. They were aware of the case and didn’t resist,” Ratheesh said.