Kochi: Hill Palace Police in Tripunithura have arrested a 23-year-old man for allegedly assaulting police officers and damaging a police vehicle while in custody. The accused is Devadas, a native of Njarakkal, who was later remanded into judicial custody on Sunday.

The sequence of events began on Saturday night when the Infopark Police detained Devadas near the main gate of Rajagiri College in Kakkanad. According to the police, the accused was in a highly intoxicated state and was creating a public nuisance by misbehaving with passersby.

Following his detention, officers took Devadas to the Tripunithura Taluk Hospital for a mandatory medical examination. Witnesses reported that he turned violent at the hospital, attempting to physically attack the accompanying officers and shouting severe profanities. Video footage of the accused hurling abuse at the police has since surfaced on social media platforms.

The situation escalated further around 12.50 am while officers were transporting him back from the hospital. Upon reaching the Thripunithura railway overbridge, the accused became aggressive inside the patrol vehicle and kicked out the rear right quarter glass of the jeep.

“He was violent and abusive throughout the medical examination. When the Infopark police were on the way back to the station with him, he kicked and shattered the rear quarter glass. Since the incident occurred within the Hill Palace police's jurisdiction, we registered an FIR and arrested him. The accused is said to be a nuisance in his locality whenever he gets drunk. We are currently checking his background,” said an officer attached to the Hill Palace Police Station.

The First Information Report (FIR) stated that the accused caused damages amounting to ₹3,500 to the police vehicle. The Hill Palace Police recorded his arrest on Sunday morning on charges of assaulting police personnel and destruction of public property.