His role was exposed after the arrest of Puthanveetil Prasad, who admitted to smuggling liquor from Karnataka based on Aneesh's instructions.
Published Oct 05, 2025 | 3:29 PM ⚊ Updated Oct 05, 2025 | 3:29 PM
Aneesh Mamballil.
Synopsis: A Special Investigation Team of the Kerala Police arrested Aneesh Mamballil, former Congress vice-president of Mullankolli grama panchayat in the Wayanad district, for planting 15 country bombs and five litres of smuggled liquor at the house of a local party leader.
A Special Investigation Team (SIT) of the Kerala Police arrested Aneesh Mamballil (35), former vice-president of Mullankolli grama panchayat in the Wayanad district, for planting 15 country bombs and five litres of smuggled liquor at the house of a fellow Congress leader, Kannattumalayil Thankachan.
His role was exposed after the arrest of Puthanveetil Prasad, who admitted to smuggling liquor from Karnataka based on Aneesh’s instructions.
Aneesh, who had gone into hiding, was caught in Kushal Nagar in the Kodagu district of Karnataka and will be produced before the Sulthan Bathery court.
Earlier, Thankachan was jailed for 17 days before being cleared by the court, following his wife’s petition for a re-investigation. His family alleged he was framed due to internal party rivalries. The case also saw the death by suicide of another Congress leader, Jose Nelledam, after being accused of involvement in the conspiracy.
Thankachan, alias Augustin, a Congress leader from Marakkadavu in Wayanad, was freed on 7 September after the police admitted in court that he was wrongly implicated.
He was arrested on 22 August after police claimed to have seized liquor and bombs from his house. However, a re-investigation ordered by Wayanad Superintendent of Police (SP) Taposh Basumathari found that another man, Puthanveettil Prasad, had brought in the liquor.
The Police, who are also probing the conspiracy, have added charges for fabricating evidence against the accused.
Thankachan alleges rival Congress leaders, led by ND Appachan, who resigned last week as the Wayanad District Congress Committee (DCC) president, framed him due to factional feuds. His family also said that the arrest was politically motivated.
Meanwhile, Thankachan thanked the police officers who reopened the probe, saying it cleared his name.
(Edited by Muhammed Fazil with inputs from Sreelakshmi Soman.)
