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V K Thajudheen, who was working in Qatar at the time, was mistakenly identified from CCTV footage and arrested in a chain-snatching case, spending 58 days in jail after returning to Kerala for his daughter’s wedding in 2018

The Kerala High Court has ordered the state government to pay Rs 14 lakh in compensation to a Kannur native who spent nearly two months in jail after being wrongly arrested in a chain-snatching case in 2018, The News Minute reported.

V K Thajudheen, who was working in Qatar at the time, was mistakenly identified from CCTV footage and arrested when he returned to Kerala for his daughter’s wedding. He spent 54 days in prison for a crime he did not commit.

In an order dated October 14, 2025, Justice P M Manoj said the compensation was meant to deter police from indulging in “irresponsible conduct” and to prevent similar actions in the future. The order was made public on January 8, 2026.

The court directed that Rs 14 lakh be paid to Thajudheen, including Rs 1 lakh each for his wife and three children. It also said Thajudheen and his family were free to pursue civil remedies against the police officers responsible.

Speaking to thenewsminute.com, Thajudheen said the ruling brought limited relief. “I have suffered huge losses after my business collapsed following the case. This won’t compensate for all that. Still, I could say that I got justice. I will file a civil case against the officers responsible,” he said.

Thajudheen’s lawyer, Asaf Ali, said the High Court accepted findings from a Deputy Superintendent of Police who had identified lapses in the original investigation. “The police later found that their findings against Thajudheen were wrong. They had not only harassed Thajudheen, but also insulted his wife and children,” Ali said.

Thajudheen was taken into custody on August 11, 2018, while returning home with his family. Police at the Chakkarakkal station accused him of being the chain-snatcher seen in CCTV footage of a bearded man riding a white scooter, despite his repeated denials.

No stolen property or vehicle linked to the crime was recovered, but Thajudheen was remanded to judicial custody. During the investigation, he was paraded along public roads by police, an experience the court noted caused him severe mental distress.

The arrest disrupted his overseas employment. Unable to return to Qatar on time, Thajudheen was later detained there for 23 days and deported to India.

His innocence emerged only after the arrest of Sarath Valsaraj, a habitual offender, in a similar case. Investigators later confirmed that Sarath was the individual seen in the CCTV footage. Police had earlier ignored evidence showing Thajudheen was at a beauty parlour with his daughter at the time of the crime.

A departmental inquiry later found fault with several officers involved in the investigation, including then sub-inspector P Biju and assistant sub-inspectors Yogesh and T Unnikrishnan.

The High Court said the state government was free to recover the compensation amount from the police personnel found responsible, following due process.