TJ Joseph hand-chopping case: NIA nabs key accused from Kannur after 13 years

Kannur: Thirteen years after the incident in which Newman college Professor T.J. Joseph's hand was severed, the National Investigation Agency (NIA) has apprehended the key suspect Savad in Kannur on Wednesday.

Savad, who was a member of the banned outfit Popular Front of India (PFI), had been absconding for more than a decade even after the NIA team nabbed other accused in the case. He is taken to Kochi for questioning in the case. Later, he will be produced before the NIA special court. 

Accusing Professor T.J. Thomas of insulting Prophet in a question paper, the accused had attacked him on July 4, 2010. The accused, who arrived in a van, attacked the professor near his house after pulling him out of his car. The professor was returning from the church in his car.

Later, the Kerala Police had filed a chargesheet against 27 persons. The NIA took over the case and, following extensive raids, arrested and charge-sheeted another 20 suspects. In April 2015, the NIA Special Court convicted 13 accused.

Last year, the National Investigation Agency (NIA) special trial court sentenced three convicts to life imprisonment. The court also sentenced three other convicts to three years in prison.