Youth held for vandalising 25 vehicles in Alappuzha town

ALAPPUZHA: A 27-year-old youth, who vandalised over 25 vehicles parked on road side in Alappuzha town in the early hours of Thursday, was arrested by the police on Sunday. The accused Midhun (Sreelal) used to work as a pick up van driver.
"The accused had an enmity with one Rajesh, a second-hand vehicle seller in the town. According to the accused, he had lost at least Rs 40,000 in connection with sale of a Maruti Omni van to Rajesh.On Thursday, Midhun reached at Kommadi and vandalised the vehicle owned by Rajesh parked in front of the shop. Then he went on to vandalise all the parked vehicles he saw in front of him within Alappuzha south and north police station limits. He came in his pickup van registered in the name of his father and vandalised the windshield of vehicles at Kommady, Malikamukku, Kuthirapanthy, Vattayal, Thiruvambadi, Kalarcode, Bappu Vaidyar Junction, Vadackal and Arattuvazhi,’’ said Alappuzha deputy superintendent of police, P V Baby.
Alappuzha police chief K M Tomy set up a special investigation team led by Dy SP P V Baby after he inspected the vehicles. "We checked over 200 CCTV visuals and checked the phone transactions of 200 criminals in the town. Then we understood that the accused was hailing from municipal area and he had come in a Mahindra Bolero pick up van. So we sought the help of regional transport officer, Alappuzha and he handed over the details of 150 such pick up vans in the town and surrounding areas. Thus we traced the accused and the vehicle he used in the crime,’’ Baby said.
Midhun will be produced before the court on Monday.