Shillong, January 10: The National Investigation Agency (NIA), which had announced a reward of 10 lakh Rupees for information leading to the apprehension of Sawad, a primary suspect in the notorious Kerala hand chopping case, successfully took him into custody from Kannur on Wednesday.
As per IANS, Sawad had evaded capture for the past 13 years since committing the heinous crime. NIA officials remain tight-lipped about the details surrounding the arrest, and Sawad is scheduled to appear before an NIA court later in the day.
Residing in Ernakulam district, Sawad was involved in the 2010 incident where Professor T.J. Joseph’s right hand was severed. The gruesome act was perpetrated by individuals associated with the now banned Popular Front of India (PFI).
The NIA conducted an extensive investigation, leading to the conviction of 13 individuals linked to the PFI by a special NIA court in 2015. In a recent development, the NIA court, as part of a supplementary charge sheet, acquitted five individuals and charged six others.
Following the attack on Joseph, the assailants claimed it was punishment for the alleged sacrilegious undertones in one of the exam questions framed by the professor. Responding to Sawad’s arrest, Joseph expressed, “As an individual who suffered this, I have nothing to say, but as a citizen, it’s good that the law enforcing agencies have arrested the prime culprit.”
He raised concerns about the conspirators behind the incident, questioning, “For the agencies, a liability of theirs has been wiped out, as he was on the run for long, but what about the conspirators behind this incident?”