2 men arrested in Kochi for attacking police officials during night patrol

Two persons were arrested from Kochi in the early hours of Tuesday for allegedly attacking police officials who had questioned them as part of routine night checking protocols.

According to a senior police officer of the port city, the Circle Inspector of Ernakulam North police station and four other officers were carrying out night patrolling when they saw a group of five persons standing outside a popular roadside eatery and smoking around 2 am on Tuesday.

When questioned on what they were doing there at that time, the group got into an argument with the police, the officer said.

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When the police team asked them to show documents of their two-wheelers, the group attacked the officers, he said.

Two of the attackers, one of whom apparently works in the film industry, were arrested while the remaining three managed to run away, the officer said.

An official at Ernakulam North police station said the area in question is often frequented by drug users and the roadside eatery owner was on several occasions warned not to keep his establishment open so late.

The officer also said stolen vehicles are also often recovered from the area and some time back an attempted murder incident had also taken place there.

In the latest incident, the five-member group objected to the officers' questioning and their demand to see the papers of the two-wheelers belonging to them, the officer said.

The argument escalated further and some of the five-member group pushed the police officers, he said. "One of them also had a key chain in the shape of a sharp knife which he used to attack the police. They claimed that they were part of the film industry. One of the accused, a Thrissur native, was here to act in some film and is active on (short video service) TikTok," the officer said.

An FIR under Sections 353 (assault or criminal force to deter public servant from discharge of his duty), 332 (voluntarily causing hurt to deter public servant from his duty), 506 (punishment for criminal intimidation) and 34 (common intention) of the Indian Penal Code was registered against the five persons, police said and added that efforts are on to apprehend the others involved in the skirmish.

No one from the police team was injured in the incident, the officer said.