Ernakulam: One of the two men accused in a theft case in Kadavanthara, who escaped police custody on Sunday evening, has been apprehended, police said. The accused are Rafel and Suraj. Of the two, Suraj has been caught, while efforts to trace Rafel are ongoing.

According to the Kadavanthara police, the duo, accused in a theft case in the city, were being taken to a magistrate court in North Paravoor when they escaped from custody. Following the escape, a search operation was launched to track them down.

The Kadavanthara police, with the assistance of the North Paravoor police, apprehended Suraj from Kuttichirakaadu in Ezhikkara, North Paravoor. “The accused was hiding in an isolated plantation,” a Sub-Inspector of Paravoor police told Onmanorama.

The men had been booked for allegedly stealing an iPhone 16 worth ₹65,000 from a youth whom one of them had befriended on a dating app.

According to the FIR, one of the accused befriended a 20-year-old youth through the app and met him near Ernakulam North railway station at around 2.15 am on Saturday. The two then travelled to a location near Kammattipadam around 2.45 am.

Upon reaching the spot, the first accused, along with the second accused who had been hiding there, allegedly stole the phone from the complainant’s pocket.