Kochi, Dec 11 (PTI) More than a decade after a young man went missing after leaving his home in Tamil Nadu, an NIA court here has cleared the way for investigators to finally arrest him.
The man, known
as Ramesh or Vasanth to his family, left for what his parents believed was a new job in 2010, and never returned.
Only this year did they learn through a newspaper report that he had been arrested in another state and was living under a different name.
Now, with the court’s permission, Tamil Nadu’s Q Branch can formally arrest him inside the Viyyur central jail in Thrissur, where he is currently lodged, a step that could shed light on the mystery surrounding his disappearance.
Interestingly, he is also named as an accused in a Maoist-related case and was known by the nickname ‘Ramesh’.
His alleged links to the outlawed organisation led the Tamil Nadu Police to register a case under the anti-terror law.
The NIA Court in Kochi on Wednesday granted permission to the Deputy Superintendent of Police, Q Branch, to arrest Ramesh alias Vasanth, a native of Ranipettai, Tamil Nadu.
Tamil Nadu Q Branch approached the court, stating that Vasanth left his house on May 16, 2010, by train to join a job in Coimbatore and did not return.
As per the petition, his father filed a man missing case at Arcot Town Police Station in 2023.
After seeing a newspaper report, Vasanth’s parents learned that he had been arrested by the Karnataka police in January this year.
The petition said that they met him at Parappana Agrahara Central Prison, where Vasanth allegedly told them that after leaving home, he joined the Maoist organisation under the nickname “Ramesh.” Following this information, Tamil Nadu Police altered the charges in the missing case to include offences under the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (UAPA).
The probe was transferred to the Q Branch unit of Thirupattur district for further investigation, the petition said.
According to Q Branch, the investigation revealed that Vasanth joined CPI (Maoist), the banned organisation, during his college days and was also involved in various unlawful activities.
Tamil Nadu Police requested the court’s permission to formally arrest Vasanth as part of the ongoing investigation.
After examining the application, the court on Wednesday allowed Q Branch to formally arrest Vasanth, who is currently lodged in the High Security Prison at Viyyur, Thrissur.
“On going through the application submitted by the petitioner and the other materials placed, I am of the view that formal arrest of the said person is necessary for the proper investigation of the case, and permission can be granted for his formal arrest,” Judge PK Mohandas observed.
The court directed that Vasanth’s formal arrest be recorded at the prison in the presence of the Superintendent before December 25.
Vasanth is the 18th accused in a case related to an exchange of fire between police and a Maoist group under the Edakkara Police Station in Malappuram in 2016, which was later probed by the NIA. PTI TBA TBA ROH
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