Kochi: A 35-year-old man who allegedly cheated around 35 people by taking their vehicles on the pretext of borrowing them has been arrested by the Koothattukulam police. The accused, Sajan Babu, of Oliyappuram, allegedly pledged or sold the vehicles without the owners’ knowledge.
The amount raised by pledging the vehicles reportedly ranged from Rs 40,000 to Rs 2 lakh.
Sajan targeted people known to him and borrowed their vehicles citing various personal requirements, according to the police. Police said the six had previously been involved in similar cases registered at Kodungallur and Vadakkekara police stations. He allegedly used forged documents and duplicate keys to pledge or sell the vehicles. Police are continuing the investigation to identify more victims and trace the vehicles. Six held for illegal sand mining : Six people were arrested for allegedly extracting and smuggling sand from Periyar River. The arrests were made by Puthenvelikkara Police after conducting inspections based on a tip-off. The arrested are Santhosh, Jimil and Lalu of Chettikadu, Rasheed and Sajeevan of Methala in Kodungallur, and Ajesh of Azhikode. The exact cause of the accident is yet to be ascertained. Vadakkekara police have registered a case.
The accused had been absconding for nearly 10 months before he was arrested. An FIR registered in Jan states that he took a car from the complainant in Oct 2025, promising to sell it. In another case, he allegedly borrowed a car in Dec, claiming that he had to take his child to hospital.