An accused who was arrested by the Kerala police from Thiruvananthapuram in June this year in a narcotics case managed to escape from an excise team in Bengaluru on Thursday. Following this, the Karnataka and Kerala police have launched a manhunt to track him down. 

Georgekutty, a native of Ettumanoor in Kottayam district of Kerala, was settled in Bengaluru and used to manage the distribution of hashish oil and ganja to the state of Kerala. An accused in over 20 police cases, he was arrested in June by a special excise squad from the Vazhamuttom area on the NH 66 bypass in Thiruvananthapuram, where he was found carrying 20 kilogram of hashish oil worth Rs 20 crore and 2.5 kilograms of Ganja.

According to a report by The Hindu, Georgekutty, who used to live in Bengaluru used to  procure banned substances from Andhra Pradesh and then later transport them to Kerala. The report states that at the time of Georgekutty’s arrest in Thiruvananthapuram, the narcotics were found hidden in a special compartment in a car, which was also seized by the Excise team. 

As per a report by Mathrubhumi, the car was brought from Muvattupuzha after which it was taken to Theni where the secret compartment was built inside the car. 

Following this, an excise team consisting of two excise inspectors and two civil excise officers along with Georgekutty, left for Theni for evidence collection on Wednesday morning. Later in the day, when the team reached the Majestic railway station in Bengaluru, Georgekutty, stating that he wanted to use the washroom, escaped from the police. 

As per reports, the Bengaluru police has registered a case at the Cotton pet police station in the city. Ramesh Bannoth, Deputy Commissioner of Police, West Division, was quoted by The Hindu as saying, “We have launched a massive search for the accused. The neighbouring states have been alerted and his photographs have been shared."