Mon Feb 10 07:02:00 UTC 2025: ## Hit-and-Run Fugitive Arrested After Year-Long Manhunt
**Kozhikode, Kerala –** Methil Punathil Shajeel, accused in a fatal hit-and-run incident in Vadakara, Kozhikode district, was arrested on Monday, February 10, 2025, after a year-long investigation. Shajeel, a Purameri native, was apprehended upon his arrival at Coimbatore airport from Dubai.
The accident, which occurred on February 17, 2024, resulted in the death of a 68-year-old woman, Baby, and left her nine-year-old granddaughter, Drishana, in a coma. Shajeel allegedly fled the scene after striking the victims with his car while they were crossing the national highway. He subsequently had his vehicle repaired, allegedly using insurance claims to cover up the incident.
The investigation, led by Deputy Superintendent of Police V.V. Benny, involved examining over 50,000 phone calls, 500 spare parts stores, and interviewing approximately 500 individuals. The crucial breakthrough came from the insurance claim filed by Shajeel. Initially, the only lead was a partial license plate number provided by an auto-rickshaw driver. The police meticulously checked details of nearly 19,000 vehicles and reviewed CCTV footage within a 40km radius. Statements from Shajeel’s family members, who were passengers in the car at the time of the accident, also proved vital.
Shajeel has been charged under Section 304 A (causing death by negligence) of the Indian Penal Code. His anticipatory bail application was previously rejected. The arrest concludes a complex investigation that highlights the tenacity of Kerala Police in solving a challenging case.
First Piper 