Kerala   

Security tightened on Ghat road

In view of the increasing number of crimes, the police have introduced night patrolling on the Thamarassery Ghat Road, writes Biju Govind.

In the wake of the abduction and murder of a resort owner at Thamarasserry Ghat last month, the law enforcement authorities have strengthened security on the 22-km.stretch of hairpin road from Adivaram to Thamarassery that connects Kozhikode and Wayanad districts.

Abdul Kareem, owner of `Jungle Park' and `Green Magic Nature Resorts' on Finster Hills at Vythiri, was kidnapped along with his driver at the ninth hairpin bent on the Ghat road at around 9.30 p.m. on February 11 by unidentified persons. The 50-year old businessman was later found with serious injuries at a rubber estate near Adivaram. He succumbed to his injuries while being taken to the Kozhikode Medical College Hospital on Sunday morning.

His driver is still recovering from the injuries on the head. They were on their way to Kozhikode after visiting a lawyer at Sulthan Bathery. Preliminary investigations revealed that hired goons had strangled the resort owner to death after brutally assaulting him with iron rods. The Crime Branch Crime Investigation Department (CB-CID) is conducting the investigations in the case.

Kozhikode Rural Superintendent of Police C. Sharafudeen said night patrolling had been introduced on the Ghat road from 8 p.m. to 6 a.m. A team of five armed police personnel led by a Sub-Inspector has been put on patrol duty between Adivaram and Thamarassery.

"We have upgraded security arrangements using the existing resources. After the incident, people are now afraid to travel through the Ghat roads, especially during the night," he said.

The police said several incidents of crime had been reported from the Thamarassery Ghat road over the last several years. A majority of the cases registered at the Thamarassery police station, including murder and looting of travellers, were crimes that had occurred on the Thamarasery Ghat road.

Mr. Sharafudeen said most of the crimes connected with the Thamarassery Ghat road had their genesis either at Wayanad or at Kozhikode. A joint operation with the Wayanad police was not possible as these areas come under the jurisdiction of Kozhikode Rural Police.

Incidentally, the nearest police station is at Vythiri in Wayanad.

A permanent police aid post was also not feasible considering the climatic changes, particularly during the monsoon.

As of now, an Inspector on rotational basis is put on charge to conduct patrolling three or four times on the Ghat road daily.

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