Palm-chopping case: one more arrested

April 12, 2015 12:00 am | Updated November 28, 2021 09:21 pm IST - KOCHI:

The National Investigation Agency (NIA) on Saturday arrested K.A. Najeeb, the 31st accused in the attack on T.J. Joseph, a teacher of Newman College, Thodupuzha.

The accused, a native of Kunjunnikkara at Aluva, had been absconding for the past five years and was arrested from Coimbatore. Officials closely monitored the phone calls of his relatives and traced him to a bag shop where he was working under a fake name.

According to officials, Najeeb was a driver of one of the two cars the accused used for the attack. He aided the main accused Savaad in getting treatment and to go into hiding. Najeeb had gone into hiding ever since the police registered a case over the palm-chopping incident in 2010.

He stayed in different parts of the country. “He was in Coimbatore for the last three months and we could trace his calls when he called up his relatives here to know about the recent court verdict on the incident. Soon, our team went there and he was tracked down a couple of days later,’’ said an official.

As per the charge-sheet, Najeeb had participated in the conspiracy meet held on March 28, 2010, before launching the attack on Mr. Joseph.

The arrest of Najeeb comes even as the NIA court is all set to pronounce the verdict on April 23. The trial of the case started in July 2013. There are 54 accused in the case of which 37 were charge-sheeted by the NIA. Five of the accused, including main accused Savaad and fourth accused Sajil, are absconding. The assault on Mr. Joseph took place on July 4, 2010, when a gang pulled him out of his car and chopped off his palm when he was returning home with his family after attending Sunday mass.

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