3 min readThiruvanananthapuramMay 26, 2026 09:50 PM IST
When a civil policeman’s motorcycle was set ablaze in Kerala’s Kollam last Saturday night, everyone initially believed it was a case of revenge for police action against students during the tenure of the previous government. A note found at the site indicated as much. But later, when CCTV footage of the area was checked and the digital payment to an autorickshaw driver was traced, it emerged that the crime was a lot more personal and much less political.
On Monday, police in Kollam’s Anchal area arrested two 26-year-old women, Arathi Raj and her friend Gayathri Mohan, in connection with setting on fire the motorcycle of policeman V S Vivek, who works in the adjoining Pathanamthitta district. Both accused were students of a coaching centre in Thiruvananthapuram, where they had been preparing for competitive exams.
According to police sources, there had once been a proposal for marriage between Arathi and Vivek, but it fell through and both families settled the matter amicably. However, Arathi had allegedly maintained a grudge against Vivek over the matter, a source said.
“Hence, along with her friend at the coaching centre, she planned the attack and executed it on Saturday night,” the source alleged.
On the night of the incident, the motorcycle parked at the compound of the policeman’s house was found ablaze, and a wall of the house was doused in engine oil. A note found at the scene sought to paint the attack as an act of revenge for the police action against pro-Congress students at a college in Punalur three years ago in which Vivek was also involved as a civil cop. The note said, “Did you think that we would not be back in power?” It was a reference to the Congress-led alliance’s victory in the recent Assembly election in Kerala, dethroning the CPI(M)-led Left alliance that had been in power for 10 years.
Punalur Assistant Superintendent of Police Dr O Aparna said, “There has been an attempt to mislead the probe. We have examined the CCTV footage and found two women moving around the region. Besides, local people also told police that they had spotted two women who were not known in the area.”
“We have found from CCTV visuals that early Sunday morning, two women had moved to Ayoor by an autorickshaw. When the auto driver was tracked down and questioned, it was revealed that one of the women made the payment through Google Pay from the account of her friend. By tracing that number, we reached the accused,” she said.
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The ASP said Arathi had learned about the police action against the pro-Congress college students from Vivek, himself, when they were on good terms. “Hence, she left a letter indicating that the attack on the house was from the Congress. The women came with petrol from Thiruvananthapuram, which indicates their planning,” the officer said.
Later, as police took her into custody, Arathi consumed poison and was rushed to a hospital, where she is said to be out of danger. Gayathri was remanded in judicial custody, while Arathi will be produced before the magistrate after she is discharged from the hospital.
