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Published Jan 07, 2026 | 1:32 PM ⚊ Updated Jan 07, 2026 | 1:32 PM
The men staged an accident so that the woman's life could be saved and thereby impress her family. (Representational picture).
The script seemed perfect for the hero and his sidekick. The climax, however, did not go as planned when local residents and the police played ‘villain’ and turned the real-life love story into a tragicomedy.
The story has now left the heroine nursing minor injuries, and the ‘hero’ and his friend cooling their heels behind bars with ample time to sigh and introspect.
The plot was perfect for a rom-com if the cops arrived at the scene and remained with nothing to do after the hero had heroically saved the heroine from a terrible road accident.
However, in the case of the hero, Ranjith Rajan of Konni, and his friend Ajas of Konnithazham, the story took an unexpected twist with the arrival of the police.
Both had planned an accident for Ranjith to win over his love interest. The plan was to stage-manage a road accident, so that Ranjith could make a mass entry, pick up his love interest and rush to a hospital to save her life. The intention was to win over the woman’s family, reportedly opposed to the romantic relationship.
On 23 December, the men carried out their plan. Ajas knocked down the woman riding a scooter home in Adoor from a coaching class and fled away. Within seconds, Ranjith appeared at the scene in another vehicle and took control of the situation.
Unknown to the men, the script had gone wrong the very moment Ranjith made his grand entry.
Rajith introduced himself to shocked locals as the woman’s husband and rushed her to a hospital, playing the role of a rescuer.
However, the locals were not convinced. Ranjith’s immediate appearance, mannerisms and claims made them suspicious.
The police investigation that followed revealed that the hit-and-run was deliberate. Once the investigators recorded the woman’s statement and tracked the vehicle involved, the planning that had gone into the accident became clear.
Both men were soon arrested. They can now plan strategies to wriggle out of the attempt to murder case registered against them.
Police said the act was aimed at emotionally manipulating the woman’s family by creating a crisis and positioning the boyfriend as a dependable protector — a plan that backfired spectacularly.
What was meant to be a shortcut to marriage has now become a serious criminal offence.
