Two persons have been arrested in connection with the attack on police officers and members of a family near Thamarassery in Kozhikode district on Monday night.
The police said on Tuesday that the arrested were Mohammed Sakkeer of Mattancherry in Ernakulam and Vishnudas of Koodathayi in Kozhikode. The attack, allegedly by members of a drug mafia, happened at Koorimunda, Ambalappady, near Thamarassery.
According to the police, Mansoor, a resident of Koorimunda, had lodged a complaint against Ayyoob, one of his neighbours, accusing him of using a shed on his premises as a den for drug handlers. They were creating so much nuisance that Mansoor reportedly had to install closed-circuit television cameras around his house. Following this, two suspected drug handlers allegedly tried to barge into his house with weapons on Monday night. His wife and four children were in the house along with Mansoor. Though local residents reached the spot hearing the commotion, the miscreants did not go back. They allegedly smashed the windowpanes on the backside of the house and threatened to attack the other neighbours. When a team led by Ashraf Thengilakandi, Deputy Superintendent of Police, Thamarassery, reached the spot, the drug handlers reportedly let loose their pet dogs against them and ran out. Stones were pelted against the police too.
When the police officers were examining the shed, the group reportedly smashed the mirror of a vehicle parked nearby and attacked Irshad, a youth who was in the vehicle. He was later admitted to a private hospital in Kozhikode for treatment.
The police took Sakkeer into custody from there and his arrest was recorded later. The others left the area and a search is on to nab them. Cases have been registered against six persons based on a complaint by Mansoor. Over a dozen are reportedly part of the gang.