Four arrested for replacing election campaign posters

Kochi: Kadavanthra police on Thursday arrested four men for allegedly removing posters and flex boards installed for the ongoing local body polls campaign and replacing them with posters of another candidate. The accused were identified as Kadavanthra natives Antony George and Benoy P Benjamin, and Elamkulam natives Christopher C R and Iype Joseph. P D Martin, Congress candidate from Girinagar division in Kochi corporation, filed a complaint alleging that supporters of former UDF councillor Malini Kurup, who is contesting as an independent, removed his posters and pasted her materials instead. Ernakulam South police also registered a case based on another complaint lodged by Martin on Wednesday.Man held for fraud: A 55-year-old man was arrested by Elamakkara police on Thursday for allegedly defrauding two individuals of a total of Rs 3.25 lakh by promising overseas jobs. The accused was identified as Nizamudheen Abdul Latheef of Thrikodithanam in Kottayam. Police said Latheef operated a consultancy near Changampuzha Park in Edappally to lure victims with job offers abroad. In the first case, a 31-year-old man was promised a warehouse job in Austria. Between June 2023 and Sept 2025, Latheef collected Rs 2.25 lakh from the victim. In the second case, a 44-year-old man was allegedly cheated of Rs 1 lakh after being assured of a job in the UK.Man arrested for stalking: A 24-year-old man was arrested on Thursday for allegedly stalking and harassing a woman. The accused, Anandhu Prasad of Sooranad in Kollam, was booked under relevant sections of Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) and remanded in judicial custody. Prasad and the complainant had recently ended their relationship. He refused to accept the break-up and allegedly followed her repeatedly to her workplace. He also allegedly assaulted her near her hostel, after which she filed a complaint. He was initially taken into custody and released with a warning. However, he again followed her to her workplace on Wednesday, leading to his subsequent arrest.