Thiruvananthapuram, Aug 8 (IANS) Kerala Home Minister Ramesh Chennithala on Saturday clarified that no shoot-at-sight order has been issued against fugitive criminal Arjun Ayanki, asserting that the police would act strictly in accordance with the law while pursuing his arrest.
Responding to speculation over whether the police had been authorised to shoot Ayanki if he resisted arrest, Chennithala said all police actions are subject to judicial scrutiny and must adhere to established legal procedures.
“The acts of the police are subject to judicial scrutiny and hence whatever is done will be only according to the rule of law. The police have a protocol, and they will act only according to that,” he said.
The clarification comes as the police intensify a statewide hunt for Ayanki, who has remained elusive despite searches across several districts and at inter-state borders.
Investigators believe he may have already left Kerala after he was reportedly traced crossing the Paliyekkara toll plaza in Kochi. The investigation has now widened to Ayanki’s close circle.
On Saturday, five of his aides were taken into custody in Thiruvananthapuram and are being questioned to determine whether they were behind the regular updates appearing on his social media accounts while he remains underground.
Investigators are yet to establish whether Ayanki himself is operating the accounts or whether others are posting on his behalf.
His brother and another associate are already in the custody of the Ernakulam police, adding to the pressure on the fugitive to disclose his whereabouts.
Ayanki, who has 23 criminal cases registered against him at various police stations across Kerala, has continued to taunt the police through social media despite remaining in hiding.
In his latest post, he claimed that the system had turned them like this and declared that he would not kneel even if shot below the knee.
The post drew a stream of supportive comments from different social media handles, prompting investigators to examine whether an organised network is assisting him while he remains on the run.
Ayanki is wanted in a case involving an alleged threat to a police officer.
Earlier, after the High Court rejected his bail plea, he had challenged the police to arrest him if they could, while claiming that he would surrender only after securing bail.
Now his remaining legal option is to approach the apex court for bail.
The police have stepped up surveillance at border points and are examining his movements, associates and digital footprint as the search for the fugitive enters a wider phase.
–IANS
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