Thrissur: Three men were arrested on Wednesday in connection with an assault on a civil police officer of the Cherpu police station.

Those arrested for the incident that took place Tuesday evening are Chovvur Maliekal Jinu Jose (27), his elder brother Mijo Jose (29) and their friend, Manammel Veettil Aneesh (47), a native of Irinjalakuda, who helped them escape. They were taken into custody from Pudukkad after the cops blocked the National Highway.

Around 7.30 pm on Tuesday, Jose, the first accused, injured the CPO and police driver, Sunilkumar, in his face with a machete. “A police team reached Jose's house on Tuesday after learning that he was causing trouble in the locality in an inebriated state. The suspect rushed toward the police with a machete, and the CPO was cut behind the eye,” said a police officer who was part of the search operation.

Jose and his elder brother Mijo Jose then drove away in a car. Later, they abandoned the vehicle and called their friend Aneesh to escape in his car. A police team led by Pudukkad SI intercepted the car on the highway.

According to police, the brothers have had criminal records since their childhood. “They were convicted for killing two persons in 2019 under the jurisdiction of Peramangalam Police. Both of them have many cases of robbery, theft and drug peddling in various police stations including Cherpu, Peramangalam and Thrissur Town West,” the officer added.