A civil excise officer, Shajikumar, 40, sustained grievous injuries in his neck and ear after being attacked with a dagger by a fleeing accused on Tuesday night at Amboori near Amaravila.
R. Mohan Kumar, Excise Inspector, Amaravila, said a patrol party led by him had reached the hideout of Manesh George, 30, a known offender with cases including peddling of cannabis (ganja) and other banned drugs, around 8.45 p.m. on Tuesday. Manesh was allegedly packing ganja for distribution to his dealers. On seeing the patrol party, he is said to have made an escape attempt on his motorbike.
The party, including Shajikumar, tried to block him, and Manesh, who was allegedly under the influence of ganja, drew out a dagger from his dhoti and began attacking the excise party.
“It was pitch-dark and we couldn’t see. Shajikumar, who is trained in ‘Kalaripayattu,’ managed to evade some of his blows but was hacked on the ear and the neck,” Mr. Mohan Kumar said.
Shajikumar was rushed to the Thiruvananthapuram medical college hospital, where he got eight stitches behind his ear, extending towards the neck. On Wednesday, he was shifted to the Neyyattinkara General Hospital, where he is recuperating.
Manesh was overpowered by the rest of the patrol party, who arrested him and took into custody the weapon he used for the attack and his motorbike. Around 100 gm of ganja was seized from his possession.
