Kochi: Thrikkakara police have detained all three members of a gang accused of carrying out a brutal roadside assault on three youths following a road rage incident near NGO Quarters Junction in Kakkanad in the early hours of Sunday.

The detained suspects have been identified as Shefin of Kalamassery, Fahad of Pookkattupadi, and Videesh of Kozhikode. The police traced the trio to Kozhikode after they allegedly fled the city following the attack. They were brought to the Thrikkakara police station, where procedures to formally record their arrests are underway.

Meanwhile, one of the victims, who sustained a severe head injury, remains in critical condition and is undergoing emergency brain surgery.

According to the police, the suspects were tracked using a combination of mobile phone tower location analysis, technical surveillance and field intelligence gathered by the investigation team. Officers said the accused had gone into hiding in Kozhikode after fleeing Ernakulam.

“We formed special teams immediately after registering the case and launched an intensive search. The accused were traced through technical evidence, including mobile phone tower locations, and detained in Kozhikode. They have now been brought to Thrikkakara, and legal procedures to formally arrest them are in progress. We are collecting all available evidence, including CCTV footage and videos recorded by eyewitnesses,” a police officer said.

Police sources said the three accused are associates of a Perumbavoor-based gangster. Investigators further revealed that two of the accused persons have previous criminal records. The police also suspect that the attackers were under the influence of narcotic substances at the time of the assault, and further investigation is underway to establish this.

The incident occurred at around 2 am on Sunday when Praveen Kumar, Mohammad Shafi and Nizam, all residents of Vazhakkala, were returning home on two motorcycles after attending a friend’s pre-wedding function.

According to the police, the violence began after the victims allegedly did not give way for the accused’s car. The accused stopped the car and engaged in a verbal altercation with the victims. Soon it escalated into a vicious assault.

Video footage recorded by occupants of a nearby parked vehicle, which has since become a crucial piece of evidence, allegedly shows the accused knocking the victims to the ground using a metal bangle before repeatedly punching them in the face. The footage also captures the assailants mercilessly kicking and stomping on Praveen Kumar’s head and face while he lay defenceless on the road.

Witnesses told the police that after initially assaulting the victims, the accused briefly returned to their car before getting out again and launching a second round of attacks. The bystanders immediately alerted the police while continuing to record the incident.

All three victims sustained serious injuries. Praveen Kumar suffered a skull fracture and internal brain haemorrhage with blood clotting. After receiving first aid at a private hospital in Thrikkakara, he was shifted to another hospital, where doctors admitted him to the Intensive Care Unit (ICU). Hospital sources said he is undergoing emergency neurosurgery and remains in critical condition.

Shafi sustained a fractured jaw and is undergoing treatment at the Government Medical College Hospital, Kalamassery. Nizam, who also suffered injuries in the attack, is being treated at the same hospital.

The police are recording statements from the accused and witnesses as part of the investigation. The police have booked the three accused under multiple stringent provisions of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) including Sections 109(1) (attempt to murder), 118(2) (voluntarily causing grievous hurt by dangerous weapons or means (referring to the use of metal bangle during the assault)), 117(2) (voluntarily causing grievous hurt), 115(2) (voluntarily causing simple hurt), 126(2) (wrongful restraint) and 3(5) (acts done by several persons in furtherance of a common intention).

The police said further investigation is in progress to ascertain the full sequence of events and whether additional persons were involved in the attack.