After 22 years on run, Kerala murder accused arrested in Bengaluru
The Kannur City police have arrested a 49-year-old man from Kerala who had been absconding for 22 years in connection with multiple criminal cases, including murder and attempt to murder. The accused has been identified as P. Rakesh, a resident of Thavakkara in Kannur.
Rakesh was wanted in three cases registered at the Kannur Town police station. He was an accused in the 2001 murder of Kombra Pradeepan, the 2004 murder of Ravindran inside the Kannur Central Jail, and an attempt to murder Yoganandan. According to police records, Rakesh had been released on bail in these cases, but he later went into hiding, failing to appear during the trial. Consequently, the court declared him a proclaimed offender.
For more than two decades, Rakesh managed to evade arrest. The breakthrough in the case came after the formation of a special team under the direction of Kannur District Police Chief Vijay Bharath Reddy. The team began a month-long investigation, starting with inquiries in Rakesh’s native place. During this process, the police learned that Rakesh had previously worked in Bengaluru. An unclear photograph obtained from an old friend of Rakesh proved crucial to the investigation. With the assistance of police technical experts, the photograph was enhanced, and the search was extended to Bengaluru.
The enhanced photograph and gathered intelligence helped the special team trace Rakesh to Tharabanahalli, a locality near Bengaluru. Rakesh was living there under the assumed name Sabu. He had married a woman from Thrissur and had been residing with his family for about 20 years. He worked in catering and reportedly spent most of his time at home after work. Local residents had little information about his past, as he largely kept to himself. The police said that Rakesh had integrated into the community, but did not share details about his previous life.
After nearly a week of surveillance focused on Tharabanahalli, the team identified the exact house where Rakesh was staying. Around midnight on Monday, August 17, 2026, the police surrounded the house and took him into custody. Rakesh allegedly attempted to resist arrest by trying to use a dog kept at the house against the police team. However, the officers managed to overpower him without any injury to themselves or the accused. The dog was secured, and the arrest was completed peacefully.
Rakesh will now be produced before a court and later transported to Kannur for further legal proceedings. The cases against him have been pending for over two decades, and the arrest marks the culmination of sustained police effort to bring him to justice. The police have stated that all procedures were carried out in accordance with the law.
This arrest also demonstrates the effectiveness of combining traditional investigation methods with modern technology. The enhancement of an old photograph and systematic local inquiries played a pivotal role in tracing a fugitive who had successfully hidden his identity for years. The special team’s disciplined approach ensured that the operation concluded without any disruption to the local community. The arrest ensures that the long-pending trial can move forward in the presence of the accused, a necessary step for the judicial system to deliver justice in these cases.
