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Six days after a 19-year-old college student died in a hit-and-run in Kerala’s Angamaly, police arrested the accused, identified as Dr Cyriac P George, a house surgeon at a private medical college. The victim, Jasliya Johnson, a second-year BCom student at Morning Star College, died on March 3 after suffering severe head injuries in the crash. The incident had sparked widespread outrage, with Jasliya’s classmates staging protests in Ernakulam over the delay in arresting the main suspect.
According to Aluva Rural Superintendent of Police KS Sudarshan, the Kerala police formed a special team on Thursday, March 5, to investigate the case. “We conducted searches at the accused’s house and the houses of his relatives. It is true that we have not yet been able to arrest him, but we have registered a case of murder and recovered the vehicle,” the SP told the media.
Police said a team also visited the accused’s house in Athirampuzha in Kottayam, but found it locked.
The incident occurred on February 28 near a junction on the national highway in Angamaly. Jasliya was returning to her hostel from a part-time job at a pizza shop when she was hit by a speeding vehicle at around 7.30 pm. According to the police, the vehicle was driven by Dr Cyriac P George, a house surgeon at a private medical college.
Jasliya suffered severe head injuries in the accident and was admitted to a private hospital in Ernakulam. She was declared brain dead on March 3. Her family later consented to organ donation, which helped save the lives of four people.
Reports say that Cyriac’s classmate was also in the car at the time of the incident. He later appeared at the Angamaly Police Station and recorded his statement.
Cyriac has been absconding since February 28. Police have issued a lookout notice at airports and other transit hubs to prevent him from leaving the country.