Wrongly nabbed, man alleges custodial assault

KOCHI: A man suspected of theft was allegedly subjected to brutal assault by police officials in Muvattupuzha, raising serious questions about the spirit of Janamaithri policing. Amal Antony, 35, of Vallikkada, was allegedly assaulted brutally by cops after he was taken into custody over suspicion of stealing an inverter battery from a flower shop in Muvattupuzha town. He was later released without any charges as the police found he was not guilty. The incident took place around noon on August 12, while Amal was having lunch at home with family. A team of about five to six police personnel arrived, parked their vehicle some distance away and behaved as if they were targeting a dangerous criminal, said Jiju, a resident. He said the team surrounded the house and allegedly dragged Amal out before taking him into custody. Amal alleged he was beaten up inside the police jeep on the way to the station. According to Jiju, the police might have suspected Amals involvement based on CCTV footage that showed him passing through the area with a battery on his scooter. It was only when details of the battery in the bill provided by the flower shop owner did not match the one that Amal had sold that his innocence was proved. The family has filed a complaint with the Ernakulam rural police chief, Jiju said. Kochurani, Amals mother, said her son works hard to feed his family and lives a peaceful life without causing trouble to anyone. They just had a baby, and it cant sleep even a minute without electricity. We had an inverter, but its battery had to be replaced. So, Amal took the old battery away, to either sell it or exchange it for a new one. Unfortunately, the same day, a complaint was filed of a battery theft from a nearby shop. Amal happened to pass by the area with the battery, and the police wrongly assumed he was the thief, Kochurani told TNIE. We told the police a thousand times that he was not a thief. However, they seemed more interested in the shop owners complaint and were determined to frame my son, Kochurani alleged. The police denied allegations of assault or mistreatment. We apprehended the person based on a complaint. He tried to evade arrest by running, and was taken into custody after a brief chase. At no point was he physically harmed. We have CCTV footage of him entering and leaving the police station without injury, said Basil Thomas, Muvattupuzha SHO. He said the arrest took place on August 12, but the person reportedly sought treatment two days later, and the formal complaint filed on August 21. We have evidence suggesting the person issued threats against police personnel demanding money, Basil said.