A midnight police search for history-sheeter Arjun Ayanki in Kattamala near Mallappally has triggered a political controversy, with the CPI(M) accusing the police of raiding homes without permission even after they had traced him to Kannur.

According to local residents, a large police contingent arrived in Kattamala, a residential area with around 60 houses, in eight vehicles after 11.30 p.m. on Saturday. The police first searched the house of Nithin Kumar, secretary of the Mallappally East local committee of the CPI(M), and subsequently the residence of Rahul, area president of the SFI. “Although I told the Circle Inspector, who first approached me around 10.30 p.m., that I had only heard about Arjun Ayanki through social media and had never met him in person, he returned with a large police contingent and searched our houses without permission,” Mr. Kumar told the media.

Politically motivated

He alleged that the police action was politically motivated and stemmed from animosity over social media posts targeting the UDF leadership including the panchayat president. Local residents also alleged that the police broke open the door of a woman’s house before entering and searching the premises. The search was called off only after residents began recording the police action on their mobile phones, they said.

CPI(M) district secretary Raju Abraham, who visited the area on Sunday morning, alleged that the police had already traced Mr. Ayanki to Kannur by around 9 p.m. on Friday. “Despite having clear information about his presence in Kannur, the police deliberately continued with the search here and entered houses without permission, including those of poor Scheduled Caste families living in extremely deprived conditions. Some of these houses do not even have proper doors or windows,” he said. The police, however, maintained that the team had reached Kattamala acting on a tip-off that the fugitive might be hiding in the area.

Published - August 09, 2026 06:46 pm IST