Thrissur: The Irinjalakuda police arrested an 11-member gang in the CPI local committee office vandalism case in Chazhoor on Thursday. The culprits were apprehended from Kaipamangalam, Kattoor, and Pazhuvil, where they had been hiding after the attack.

The accused are Ranjith alias Unnimon (32), Dinesh (43), Amalraj, Manikandan (52), Rohan (38), Sharathchandran (36), Ananthakrishnan alias Ananthu (22), Sreekuttan (21), Ajeesh (32), Suraj, and Arjun (28).

The incident followed tensions during the Shashti festival at Subramanyaswamy temple in Pazhuvil, which led to a police case. However, a youth accused in the case committed suicide.

Provoked by the death, the culprits targeted the residences of P A Devidas, the President of the Subramanyaswamy Temple Advisory Committee, A B Jayaprakash,  an advisory committee member, and CPI Kurumbilavu local committee secretary. Two days later, the local committee office was also destroyed, police said. 

All the accused in the case are habitual offenders, drug addicts, and alcoholics, police added. Investigations are underway into their connections with the drug mafia, and action will be taken against those who assisted them, said Irinjalakuda DySP K G Suresh.