# Absconding Kerala police officer arrested in tobacco theft case

2026-09-20T11:06:44+00:00 | Governance | Indian Opinion Desk

Corroboration: 3 independent outlets

Senior Civil Police Officer Sabith, who was on the run for 10 days after allegedly stealing seven bags of banned tobacco products from the Sultan Bathery police station in Wayanad, was arrested in Kalamassery, Ernakulam, on Sunday morning. The theft was discovered on September 10 when the evidence room was opened for cleaning. CCTV footage showed Sabith allegedly using a key kept on the station writer's desk to enter the room and remove the sacks in his vehicle. The special investigation team tracked his mobile phone to Ernakulam but he evaded capture by frequently changing locations. He was finally intercepted following a tip-off. Sabith had been suspended from service after a report by Bathery DSP Abdul Kareem. The seven bags of seized tobacco products were originally confiscated on June 7 and kept at the station on a magistrate court's orders. Sabith will be taken to Sultan Bathery for interrogation before being produced before a magistrate.

## Indian Opinion Analysis

All three sources deliver straight, fact-based reporting on Sabith's arrest, with no discernible slant for or against the government. The Hindu and Hindustan Times both note the lock was intact, suggesting an inside job, while the New Indian Express adds the detail that the key was on the station writer's desk. None of the outlets question the police investigation's competence or raise systemic issues. The uniform coverage means the key takeaway is the sequence: a suspended officer was caught after 10 days using phone tracking and a tip-off, and will now face court. The integrity of police evidence rooms is an implicit concern, but the story does not pursue it. The case moves to the magistrate for remand.

## Coverage

- thehindu.com (neutral report) <https://www.thehindu.com/news/national/kerala/police-officer-on-the-run-for-stealing-seized-tobacco-products-nabbed-from-ernakulam/article71487427.ece>
  Straight factual reporting, no editorialising.
- hindustantimes.com (neutral report) <https://www.hindustantimes.com/cities/others/police-officer-on-run-for-over-one-week-held-in-wayanad-tobacco-theft-case-101789892153124.html>
  Automated feed, plain facts with no slant.
- newindianexpress.com (neutral report) <https://www.newindianexpress.com/states/kerala/2026/Sep/20/kerala-police-officer-absconding-after-stealing-banned-tobacco-products-arrested>
  Fact-based account, no judgemental language.

Tags: Kerala Police, Sabith, Sultan Bathery, Wayanad
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