Three men, who misused an ambulance, to travel from Thiruvananthapuram to Vatakara in Kozhikode, in order to meet a woman and bring her to Thiruvananthapuram, were caught by the police on Tuesday evening. A case of lockdown violation has been filed by the Vatakara police.
The police believe that one of them wanted to elope with the woman whom he had met over social media.
“It appears that one of them had met the woman over Instagram and on her suggestion, came to meet her and take her to Thiruvananthapuram,” says Vatakara Circle Inspector of Police, Hareesh.
The three men have been identified as Shivajith (22), Sabeesh (48) and Unni Alphonse (29).
The men were reported as being seen in ‘suspicious circumstances’ more than once. “The first time we went to question them, they claimed that they were working for the Red Cross. They were also wearing the Red Cross uniform and we believed them and let them go. The second time, alert passersby who saw them circling in the ambulance and washing it later, called the police again. This time, when we questioned them, they were giving contradictory answers from what they had earlier said,” says Hareesh.
The men were taken to the police station for detailed questioning when they confessed they were not there for ‘ambulance duty’.
“They said that one of them had befriended a young woman living in Vatakara over Instagram and she had asked him to come to pick her up. They used the ambulance as a cover,” the CI says.
The vehicle has been confiscated for lockdown violation. However, since there is no complaint, the men have been allowed to go home. They were sent in two taxis to Thiruvananthapuram, following lockdown rules of allowing only three people in a car including the driver. “They went to the Vattiyoorkavu police station in Thiruvananthapuram before going home,” Hareesh says.
Vatakara Deputy Superintendent of Police Prinze Abraham told a local news channel that this was an unusual incident and it showed how alert the public is in informing the police of anything suspicious seen during the COVID-19 pandemic. He said that it was very sad that some people are trying to use unusual methods and that too an ambulance, to elope at a time like this.