Fugitive history-sheeter challenges police from hiding after HC denies bail in threat case; to be booked again

Kochi: Days after the Kerala High Court rejected his anticipatory bail plea in a case over threatening the Kothamangalam station house officer, absconding history-sheeter Arjun A (26) alias Arjun Ayanki has openly challenged the police to arrest him, leaked private Instagram conversations with a police officer and declared that he would no longer surrender. The police said they were examining the audio message and social media posts, with a fresh criminal case likely to be registered against him.

The latest confrontation comes after the High Court on August 3 refused to grant Ayanki, a native of Kannur, pre-arrest bail in a case registered over alleged threats against the Kothamangalam Station House Officer (SHO) and his family. Following the order, Ayanki has remained out of police custody.

The confrontation between Ayanki and the Ernakulam Rural Police dates back to May 3, when officers conducted a pre-dawn raid at a resort near Punnekkad in Kothamangalam under ‘Operation Steel Bird’, targeting habitual offenders ahead of the assembly polls. Led by the Kothamangalam SHO, the police arrested Ayanki and five of his associates under organised crime charges on suspicion of assembling to plan criminal activities.

Ayanki spent 21 days in judicial custody before being released on conditional bail. Soon after his release, he posted a series of aggressive messages on social media targeting the Kothamangalam SHO, alleging that the police had fabricated cases against him. In those posts, Ayanki warned that he would not allow the officer to enjoy a peaceful retirement. The police also alleged that sexually explicit and threatening messages were sent to women in the officer’s family.

Based on the complaints by the SHO and his family, Kothamangalam police registered a case against Ayanki under Sections 75(1)(iv) (sexual harassment), 356 (making or publishing any false imputation intended to harm a person's reputation) and 351(2) (Threatening another person with injury to their person, reputation,) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS), Section 67 (publishing or transmitting obscene material in electronic form) of the Information Technology Act, and relevant provisions of the Kerala Police Act. The case was being investigated by the Oonnukal SHO.

Seeking protection from arrest in the case, Ayanki approached the HC under Section 482 of the Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita (BNSS). However, Justice Kauser Edappagath dismissed his anticipatory bail plea, observing that the case did not warrant the exercise of the court's extraordinary jurisdiction.

In the order dismissing the petition, the HC said: “The investigation is in a preliminary stage. The custodial interrogation of the applicant is necessary for the investigation. As rightly argued by the learned Senior Public Prosecutor, the possibility of the applicant influencing the witnesses and interfering with the investigation cannot be ruled out if he is released on bail. Considering the gravity of the offence and stage of the investigation, I am of the view that this is not a fit case where the extraordinary jurisdiction vested with this Court under Section 482 of BNSS could be invoked.”

Hours after the court rejected his plea, Ayanki posted on Instagram a screen recording of a direct message conversation with the Oonnukal SHO regarding his proposed surrender.

The chat posted by Ayanki on his Instagram page shows him asking the officer where he should surrender. The SHO replied asking him to report at “Kothamangalam”, along with a folded hands emoji. Ayanki then responded, “Isn’t Oonnukal your station? Shouldn’t I come there?”. The officer replied, “Anywhere is fine”, after which Ayanki appeared to agree.

However, later on the same day, Ayanki sent the Oonnukal SHO a three-minute voice message accusing the police of tracking the phone locations of his associates despite his willingness to surrender. In the audio, Ayanki announced that he had reversed his decision to surrender and challenged the police to arrest him.

“When someone is trying to surrender properly and politely, you come around poking and provoking... If you feel like you must catch me yourself, then come and catch me! Catch me if you’ve got what it takes... I am not going to surrender or appear, nor am I going to give any word. Now, I will only appear after securing bail,” he said in the audio.

Referring to his earlier arrest and 21-day judicial custody, Ayanki also made fresh remarks targeting the Kothamangalam SHO.

“Your colleague... the person who dragged me and my friends into a baseless, unnecessary case and put us in jail for 21 days, whatever needs to be given to him, I have already given. Actually, I haven’t even fully given it yet; I will give it when the time comes,” he said in the audio message.

The Oonnukal SHO confirmed receiving the voice message. Senior police officials said the audio clip and related social media posts were being examined, and legal opinion was being sought on registering a fresh criminal case against Ayanki over the latest threats and statements.

The police said special teams had intensified efforts to trace and arrest Ayanki, who remains absconding after the High Court rejected his anticipatory bail plea.