Angamaly hit-and-run case: Absconding doctor Cyriac detained in Vagamon after 6 days
The police had already issued a lookout notice for Cyriac across the state.
The police had already issued a lookout notice for Cyriac across the state.
The police had already issued a lookout notice for Cyriac across the state.
Kochi: In a major breakthrough following days of public outrage over the Angamaly hit-and-run accident that killed 19-year-old student Jasliya Johnson, the police have detained the accused Dr Cyriac P George, who had been absconding for six days. Cyriac was apprehended at a resort in Kannamkulam, Vagamon, on Friday morning. He was detained hours after Angamaly police arrested his father, George Mathew, for helping him evade arrest.
The police had already issued a lookout notice for Cyriac across the state. According to the police, the arrest was the result of a coordinated effort between local authorities in Vagamon and the Ernakulam Rural Police. Acting on a tip-off that the accused was hiding in a resort in the hilly terrains, Vagamon police inspector deployed two officers in plainclothes to monitor the resort.
The police said that upon realising he had been spotted, Cyriac allegedly attempted to flee on foot, but the officers successfully pursued and detained him.
District Police Chief (Ernakulam Rural), SP KS Sudarshan, confirmed the detention. "The accused has been taken into police custody. Following the completion of necessary procedural formalities and the formal recording of his arrest, he will be brought to Angamaly and produced before the court," Sudarshan said.
The police have registered a case of culpable homicide against the doctor, a significantly more severe charge than typically applied in accidental death cases. This decision reflects the gravity of the incident, in which the driver, a medical professional, fled the scene of a horrific impact without attempting to provide aid to the victim.
The news of the arrest brought a sombre sense of relief to Jasliya's grieving family in Edavanakkad in Kochi. Her father, Johnson, who has remained steadfast in his demand for justice despite the family's immense loss, reacted to the news with quiet resolve.
"We are relieved to hear that the police have finally detained the accused. Our only wish now is that the accused gets the maximum possible punishment for the crime that took our daughter away," Johnson said.
The arrest follows a week of escalating protests. On Thursday night, the police arrested his father, George Mathew, for harbouring an offender under Section 249 of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS). Call records and tower data revealed that Mathew had been actively assisting his son's evasion.
Jasliya, a B.Com student and athlete, was the primary support system for her family. She was rammed by the speeding SUV driven by Cyriac on February 28, around 7.30 pm, while she was returning to her hostel after part-time work at a pizza shop in Angamaly.