A 29-year-old Kannur-based history-sheeter with evident left leanings, Arjun Ayanki, is on the run. He, however, does everything a fugitive wouldn’t - to be seen and heard on social media.

His pages are peppered with slow-motion walks, high-octane soundtracks and red flags now flaunt a challenge to Kerala police - “Catch me if you can.”

Ayanki has turned Instagram and Facebook into a stage - carefully crafting an image of a fearless, untouchable ‘mass hero’. The strategy appears to be working in terms of reach: his Instagram account has crossed one lakh followers, while his Facebook page has around 76,000 followers and counting.

On Friday, he added spice to the chase. “Even if they shoot me in the knee, I will not kneel. It is this system that turned me into a militant,” Ayanki declared in a post.

His online activity has gone beyond cinematic swagger. While evading the police search, he has uploaded audio clips containing threats directed at investigating officers, publicly taunted police and even posted a Google Pay QR code seeking contributions from the public towards his legal defence.

While the police are hunting him in the real world, Ayanki is building his own brand in the digital one. Every reel, post and audio clip keeps him in the public eye, drawing a fiercely divided audience of admirers, critics and trolls.

But behind the cinematic reels, revolutionary imagery and rapidly expanding follower base is a history-sheeter whose name became synonymous with Kerala’s gold-smuggling underworld after the 2021 Ramanattukara highway accident, before he was subsequently booked in several other serious criminal cases.

From DYFI activist to history-sheeter
Ayanki first came into public view in Kannur as an active member of the Democratic Youth Federation of India (DYFI), the CPM’s youth organisation. He had served as the DYFI Kappakkadavu unit secretary in Azhikkode in Kannur and was associated with usual local political clashes.

His name shot to statewide prominence in June 2021 following the Ramanattukara highway accident, in which five people were killed during a high-speed chase involving gangs allegedly linked to gold smuggling.

“Customs and police investigations identified Ayanki as a key figure in an interceptor gang allegedly waiting near Karipur airport to hijack smuggled gold. Customs estimated that the network associated with him had looted gold worth more than ₹6 crore up to 2021,” said a Customs officer

The police also recorded statements linking Ayanki to convicts in the TP Chandrasekharan murder case. He allegedly admitted receiving operational assistance from Kodi Suni, Kirmani Manoj and Mohammed Shafi.

After being arrested and jailed, Ayanki was subjected to preventive detention under the Kerala Anti-Social Activities (Prevention) Act (KAAPA) in 2022.

In 2023, he was implicated in the alleged abduction of a gold merchant at Meenakshipuram in Palakkad, during which 75 sovereigns of gold were reportedly looted.

However, recently, his name surfaced following a pre-election police raid at a resort in Kothamangalam on May 3, ahead of the state assembly elections, leading to his and his friends’ arrest and allegations of criminal activity. Out on bail, he threatened and verbally abused the Kothamangalam SHO, invoking a fresh case against him.

“As the High Court denied him bail in the case for insulting the SHO, he intimidated Oonnukal SHO, who was investigating the case, after planning to surrender initially. His ego was hurt that the police were trying to arrest him even before he surrendered, and he went on to share audio messages of derogatory remarks on the SHO and challenging the police to catch him if they can. This led to the latest case against him and the ongoing statewide hunt for him,” an officer associated with the hunt said.

A political identity he refused to surrender
Following the Ramanattukara controversy, the CPM and DYFI publicly distanced themselves from Ayanki, making it clear that he held no official position in the party or its cyber wings.

Ayanki, however, continued to embrace political identity online.

His social-media accounts feature Che Guevara portraits, red flags, hammer-and-sickle symbols and revolutionary quotes. He has also associated himself with online spaces such as the ‘PJ Army’, a Facebook group by alleged fans of senior CPM leader P Jayarajan.

This has helped him construct a narrative of a rebellious ‘comrade’, deserted by the party, but still defiant in his ideology.

That persona is reinforced by another distinctly North Kerala element - Theyyam. Ayanki’s posts frequently incorporate Theyyam performers, ritualistic music and local cultural imagery. By placing himself within a tradition associated with power, protection and divine justice, he adds a ‘son of the soil’ dimension to his carefully curated online identity.

When a fugitive becomes a ‘mass hero’
His Instagram account, @arjun.aayanki, draws heavily from the visual grammar of South Indian action cinema. The aesthetic echoes the larger-than-life protagonists of crowd-pullers.

The main feed is carefully curated. Rather than openly displaying violence or illegal contraband, it largely focuses on style, attitude and defiance.

While police search for him, Ayanki has targeted investigating officers, Home Minister Ramesh Chennithala and even the Chief Minister VD Satheesan. Voice messages allegedly sent directly to police officers have subsequently been made public, turning private exchanges into content for his followers.

He alleged that he and his friends were simply attending a wedding, while the police arrested them on May 3 on false charges. Over the last two days, he even posted stories narrating and justifying his side about how the police have kept him away from his baby boy, how his jail time derailed his plan to start a business and the like.

His declaration that he would not kneel even if shot in the knee goes a step further, casting his refusal to surrender as an act of rebellion.

Ayanki's posts have generated a sharply divided response. A section of followers celebrates his defiance with fire emojis, red hearts and red flags, addressing him as ‘Chetta’, ‘Boss’ and ‘Comrade’. To them, his confrontation with the police is portrayed as courage and rebellion.

Critics see something very different. They point to the criminal cases against him, including allegations relating to gold smuggling, abduction, extortion and intimidation, while mocking his cinematic reels and questioning his attempt to project himself as a larger-than-life hero.

But both sides contribute to the same phenomenon: engagement. Ayanki has an audience large enough to ensure that every provocative post can quickly become a talking point.

Ayanki’s story reflects a broader shift in the way criminal notoriety can be packaged in the social-media era.

He turns the police investigation itself into saleable content. A 10-member special team led by Muvattupuzha DySP has been formed to arrest Ayanki.