Thrissur: City police on Friday took Akhil, the brother of fugitive history-sheeter Arjun Ayanki, into custody after conducting an extensive search across Thrissur in an effort to trace the latter.

Arjun has been on the run after allegedly threatening the Kothamangalam Circle Inspector.

Multiple police teams led by the Thrissur City Assistant Commissioner of Police carried out searches at various locations across the city. Checks were intensified at Naikkanal Junction and Thekkinkadu Maidan after investigators traced Ayanki's mobile phone location to the Naikkanal area.

According to the investigation team, Ayanki changed vehicles for a second time while travelling from Palakkad to Thrissur, allowing him to evade the police once again. Investigators believe he slipped out of surveillance after leading officers on a chase across the city for nearly an hour.

Police have also located a car believed to have been used by Ayanki. Meanwhile, his brother was taken into custody in Thrissur and is being questioned as part of the investigation.

Police continue to search several parts of the city following intelligence that Ayanki may be hiding in Thrissur. An alert has been issued to all police stations in the district, and the search operation has been intensified, officials said.