Palakkad Vehicle Check Turns Violent; Police Injured, Army Man Among 4 arrested

Palakkad (Keralam) [India], July 3: Four persons, including an Army personnel, were arrested for allegedly assaulting police officers during a vehicle inspection conducted as part of the Keralam government’s anti-drug drive, ‘Operation Toofan’, at Payattamkunnu in Palakkad.

According to police, the incident occurred when a team led by Hemambika Nagar Sub-Inspector S Sudarshana was carrying out routine vehicle checks in the area. A car approaching from the Malampuzha side was signalled to stop for inspection.

During the search, police allegedly recovered a bottle of liquor from inside the vehicle. When the occupants were asked to step out of the car for further verification, they allegedly attacked the police team.

Police Personnel Injured

Police said the woman Sub-Inspector was assaulted during the altercation. Grade Sub-Inspector John Xavier and Senior Civil Police Officer Rajeesh, who intervened to protect her, also sustained injuries.

After a prolonged struggle, the police managed to overpower the four occupants of the vehicle and took them into custody.

According to police, the assault was allegedly led by Jijeesh, an Army personnel from Kanjirappuzha in Mannarkkad, who had recently returned home on leave from Ranchi.

A case has been registered against all four accused for allegedly obstructing public servants from discharging their official duties, police said.

Further investigation into the incident is underway.

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Operation Toofan Drive

The incident comes amid Keralam’s intensified enforcement under ‘Operation Toofan’, a statewide campaign aimed at cracking down on narcotics and other illegal activities.

Earlier on Thursday, a tattoo artist from Sikkim was arrested at Palakkad Junction Railway Station after Excise officials allegedly recovered prescription Tramadol tablets from his possession during a joint inspection with the Railway Protection Force (RPF). Authorities said the tablets were being carried without valid authorisation.

The state government has intensified enforcement under Operation Toofan, with authorities reporting thousands of arrests and cases registered under the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (NDPS) Act as part of the campaign against drug trafficking and the illegal possession of controlled substances.

(Except for the headline, this article has not been edited by FPJ's editorial team and is auto-generated from an agency feed.)