The Kerala Police have arrested a 36-year-old man in connection with an attempt-to-murder case in Thrissur, in which a man was brutally attacked with a hammer while returning from a gym.

The accused, identified as Cyril, a native of Panampilly Nagar in Potta, was arrested for allegedly attacking Deenus Davis, 37, of Puzhamballam in Marathakkara on May 8.

According to police, Deenus was on his way home from the gym when Cyril approached him from behind and struck him on the head with a hammer. CCTV footage of the incident, which surfaced earlier, showed the attacker wearing a helmet and assaulting Deenus repeatedly even after he collapsed unconscious on the road.

After the attack, the accused fled the scene on a bicycle, which was later recovered from a nearby field.

Following the incident, a special investigation team comprising 25 police personnel was formed under the supervision of Thrissur Rural District Police Chief B Krishna Kumar. Based on intelligence gathered from Marathakkara, Pudukad, Kodakara, Chalakudy and Ollur, investigators learned that an unidentified man had been tracking Deenus before the assault. Using scientific investigation methods, police eventually identified and arrested Cyril.

During interrogation, the accused confessed that he was in a relationship with Deenus’s wife and had planned the attack to eliminate Deenus so they could live together, police said.

Investigators further revealed that Cyril had purchased the hammer from Chalakudy and was also carrying petrol in a bottle, allegedly intending to set Deenus on fire after the assault. Police said the accused had waited near the gym for nearly two hours before carrying out the attack.

Deenus, who sustained serious head injuries, underwent emergency surgery at a private hospital in Thrissur and remains under treatment.