A scratchy audio from a blurry night visual provided a vital clue for the police in the Vellarada hit-and-run case. A 22-year-old youth named Athul Dev, a resident of Meethi, near Kovilloor in Vellarada in Thiruvananthapuram, Kerala, was arrested from his home after an investigation that spanned more than a month.
Suresh, 52, a resident of Kudapanakkunnu, was found dead in a room near the road in September in Vellarada. CCTV visuals showed that a two-wheeler knocked him down at night. The visuals showed one man dragging Suresh to a room.
The police initially thought it was a (Royal Enfield) Bullet motorcycle that hit Suresh. However, the cops went through the visuals again, listened to the audio and understood that it was a KTM RC sports bike. Soon, police tracked down the person who had helped Suresh to the room. It turned out that the man was Suresh's friend, who accompanied him in masonry work.
He also told police that it was not a Bullet but a sports bike. Armed with this information, the police soon collected information about nearby owners of KTM RC bikes. A list was prepared, and further investigation showed that one KTM bike and its owner were missing from the neighbouring area.
After collecting the owner's details, police launched a secret probe, did a background check, and understood that he went missing a day after the accident. The cops then zeroed in on the youth riding pillion on the night of the accident. The cops learnt that Athul had gone to Venjaramoodu with his two-wheeler. Based on information that he was back home on Monday, police took him into custody from the residence. The accused stayed barely metres away from where the accident happened.
"It was a strenuous investigation. We went back and forth, assuming the rider could have gone to Kattakada or Karakkamandapam via that route. We made repeated searches covering around 200km and went up to Tamil Nadu collecting visuals and statements from people," a police official associated with the probe said. Athul has been slapped with charges under section 304A (causing death by rash act or negligence). The youngster is associated with the shooting of TV serials, police said.
The police scoured visuals from over 150 CCTV cameras to find a clue. Contrary to initial reports that it was the rider who dragged Suresh to the room after the accident and fled, police said that Suresh's friend had spent some time with him. He heard a sound and came out to see Suresh lying on the road. "Suresh didn't have any visible wounds. He seemed alright. They had drinks together, and the friend left. The next day, he went to work but didn't enquire about Suresh," the official said. The investigation was led by Vellarada CI Prasad V.