The incident occurred around 2 am on Friday when the accused forcibly opened the door of the hostel room, covered the woman’s mouth, and tried to strangle her while threatening to kill her if she screamed. The woman filed a complaint with Kazhakoottam police at around 7 am the same day.

As there were no CCTV cameras installed in the hostel, police initially had no leads on the suspect. A special investigation team led by Kazhakoottam Assistant Commissioner P. Anilkumar, along with inspectors from Kazhakoottam, Thumba, and Peroorkada stations, and the City DANSAF squad, launched a search operation. The team traced the accused’s movements and apprehended him on his way home to Tamil Nadu with his lorry.

Police stated that the accused was a regular driver who frequently travelled to Thiruvananthapuram. He was identified within 24 hours of the incident and arrested within two days.