Sulthan Bathery: Police have nabbed three teenagers, including a minor, in connection with the theft of a scooter that occurred in broad daylight at Pazhoor town under the Noolpuzha Police Station limits on the evening of June 5, according to a police press statement.

The accused have been identified as Das Chandran (19) of Das House, Paravoor, in Alappuzha district; V Prasad (19), a native of Odakkolly near Panamaram in Wayanad; and an underage boy.

The trio, who were in the town on the day of the incident, allegedly took away a scooter that had been parked in front of a madrassa building.

Upon receiving a complaint the same day, police registered a case and launched an investigation.

After examining footage collected from CCTV cameras, police identified the suspects. By tracking their mobile phones, investigators later traced them to a hideout in Ottappalam, Palakkad district.

The accused were taken into custody on Sunday. Police also recovered the stolen scooter and another motorcycle owned by one of the accused from a workshop in Mannarkkad.

According to the investigation, the accused had planned to sell the scooter in Mannarkkad and return with the money. However, the scooter developed engine trouble, forcing them to take it to a workshop for repairs. Their own motorcycle was also undergoing repairs at the workshop.

According to Noolpuzha Circle Inspector M Sasidharan Pillai, police tracked the suspects' movements through scientific investigation and identified their location. The trio were taken into custody on Sunday.

The two adult accused were arrested and produced before the Judicial First Class Magistrate Court-I, Sulthan Bathery, which remanded them to judicial custody. The minor was handed over to the Juvenile Justice Board, which will initiate proceedings under the Juvenile Justice Act, police said.

The investigation was led by Noolpuzha Station House Officer M Sasidharan Pillai. The team also included Sub-Inspectors M Muhammed Shafi and K Parameswaran, Assistant Sub-Inspector Shinoj Abraham, Senior Civil Police Officer TD Santhosh, and others.