Kerala
Living As A Carpenter Under False Identity, Here's How Savad, Prime Suspect In Kerala Professor’s Hand Chopping, Was Caught By NIA
Professor TJ Joseph, who suffered having his hand chopped by PFI activists for alleged blasphemy.
After eluding authorities for 13 years, Savad Meerankutty, the primary suspect in the hand-chopping case of Malayalam teacher T J Joseph, was finally apprehended by the National Investigation Agency (NIA) today (10 January) in Kannur.
Living under a false identity as a carpenter named Shajahan in Mattannur, Savad was taken into custody from his rented house.
He had been residing there for the past two years and working as a carpenter for eight months. Married with two children, Savad's father-in-law was reportedly associated with the Social Democratic Party of India.
Despite living in the area for an extended period, locals were unaware of his true identity, as he had previously been hiding in Vilakode before relocating to Beram.
Savad had been on the run since 2010 when he escaped to Bengaluru after committing the crime. Speculations have been there that he had traveled to Nepal and then Afghanistan.
The NIA, which took over the case, later received information that Savad was seen in Nepal with the attack's mastermind, M K Nasser, who eventually surrendered.
Some reports suggested that Savad might be residing abroad under a different identity using fake travel documents as an Afghan national.
In March 2023, the NIA announced a reward of Rs 10 lakh for information leading to Savad's location, increasing the reward from an initial Rs 4 lakh due to a lack of information.
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