Kannur: Kannur District Collector P Vishnuraj invoked the Kerala Anti-Social Activities (Prevention) Act (KAAPA) against Arjun Ayanki, a Left-leaning social media influencer facing multiple criminal cases, including those involving an alleged attempt to murder and robbery, and ordered his immediate preventive custody.
The order was based on a report submitted by Kannur City Police Commissioner B V Vijaya Bharath Reddy.
Police said Ayanki (29) had been involved in nine criminal cases over the past seven years and that his continued presence in society posed a threat.
Ayanki is currently lodged in prison in connection with a case registered by the Kannur Cyber Police over alleged abusive and provocative posts targeting Home Minister Ramesh Chennithala. Valapattanam police said they will immediately implement the KAAPA order by approaching the court seeking permission to arrest him.
For invoking KAAPA against Ayanki, the cases cited by the police include two preparation for dacoity cases linked to gold smuggling (Section 399 of IPC) in Karipur, said Reddy, who investigated those cases as ASP, Kondotty. In Meenakshipuram, there is a robbery case against him in 2023, and the organised crime case registered against him by Kothamangalam police in May, the officer said.
Under KAAPA, only criminal cases registered within the past seven years can be considered. Ayanki has 23 criminal cases in all, including cases of alleged attempt to murder and robbery, of which nine were registered during the past seven years.
KAAPA allows police to detain an accused for six months. “We will be approaching the court as early as Saturday,” said an officer at Valapattanam police station.
Social media posts triggered action
Ayanki had gone on the offensive on social media after his arrest by the Kothamangalam police in a case he described as fabricated. In a series of posts, he challenged the police action and demanded accountability from the officers involved in his arrest. Some of his posts were seen by police as crossing the line into threats against the officers.
The posts prompted the police to step up action against him. A subsequent case was registered over his alleged remarks challenging Chennithala to launch an inquiry into his arrest by Kothamangalam police. Based on a complaint filed by Kannur District Congress president Martin George, police arrested Ayanki after a statewide search.
Ayanki was a prominent voice in the Left cyber ecosystem. He has around 79,000 followers on Facebook and 1.33 lakh followers on Instagram. He rose to prominence as a supporter of the CPM and was associated with the party’s social media, though the party and its youth wing later distanced themselves from him amid allegations of criminal links.
Ayanki, a native of Azhikkal in Kannur, began his political activities as a DYFI unit secretary and later became prominent as a CPM supporter on social media. He built a substantial following by aggressively targeting political opponents online.
His name subsequently surfaced in cases linked to alleged gold-smuggling networks, including the Ramanattukara incident in which five people were killed in a road accident while allegedly pursuing a vehicle connected to a gold-smuggling network.
He has also faced cases involving alleged attacks and attempts to intercept gold smuggling mules coming from West Asian countries, besides cases registered by the Customs Department.
The DYFI subsequently severed ties with him after allegations of criminal links emerged, while CPM leaders have repeatedly distanced themselves from him.
Ayanki has denied the allegations in the various cases. He said his social media posts, which angered the authorities, were in response to what he described as unjust action by the Kothamangalam police.
In a social media post, Ayanki said he had decided to turn over a new leaf after becoming a father. He said he was planning to start a business when he was arrested in Kothamangalam, where he had gone to attend a wedding.
Police, however, alleged that Ayanki had gathered there with his team to target another gang allegedly transporting gold
