Decade-long Mystery of Missing Tamil Nadu Man Unraveled

A young man from Tamil Nadu, missing since 2010, has been located in a Thrissur jail, living under a different name. He is now a suspect in a Maoist-related case. With permission from an NIA court, Tamil Nadu's Q Branch is set to formally arrest him for further investigation.

More than a decade after he vanished, Ramesh, also known as Vasanth, is at the center of a newly unfolding investigation in Tamil Nadu. The NIA court in Kochi has granted permission to the Q Branch to formally arrest him from the Viyyur central jail in Thrissur. Vasanth, originally from Ranipettai, disappeared in 2010, leaving his family under the impression he was taking up a new job.

The twist emerged when his parents discovered through media reports that he had been arrested under a different identity in another state. Official investigations now categorize Vasanth as an accused in a Maoist-related case, revealing his alleged affiliation with the banned CPI (Maoist) outfit. His involvement in unlawful activities prompted Tamil Nadu Police to invoke the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act.

Vasanth, the 18th accused in a 2016 case involving an exchange of fire between police and Maoists in Malappuram, is awaiting formal arrest by Tamil Nadu's Q Branch. The process is mandated by a directive ensuring the arrest's record in the presence of the prison Superintendent before December 25, as the probe continues.

(With inputs from agencies.)