Police squad attacked in Kozhikode; five suspected goons arrested

Four police officers attached to a Special Investigation Team (SIT) from Palakkad sustained injuries after a suspected criminal gang attacked them with a firearm and firecrackers at Peruvayal, near Mavoor, on Saturday (July 11, 2026) morning. The law enforcement team had tracked the suspects to a hideout in the Kozhikode city while probing the high-profile kidnapping of an expatriate entrepreneur, who was allegedly held for a ransom of ₹70 crore

According to police sources, the confrontation took place around 9 a.m. when the police squad, acting on precise location data, zeroed in on the suspects at a local villa. The gang reportedly launched a violent resistance, throwing an unidentified explosive material and drawing a firearm, the moment the officers attempted to detain them.

A senior police officer from Mavoor station said the attack appeared to be a calculated one at the spot. Following the initial clash, a special police team from the Mavoor police station rushed to the scene to secure the area and arrest the suspects.

Five persons found at the location — dentified as Vishnu, Salman, Shameer, David, and Jackson — were subsequently taken into custody and arrested. Among the detainees, Shameer, also known as ‘Aadu’ Shameer, was a history-sheeter with a record of multiple criminal offences.

While the contents of the explosives remain under investigation, preliminary evidence indicated the use of high power firecrackers. Parts of the exploded materials were collected from the spot for detailed forensic analysis. A senior official confirmed that a comprehensive investigation was underway to trace the illicit origin of the firearm and to determine how the suspects successfully secured a rental property in the city undetected.