Kerala history-sheeter Arjun Ayanki has brazenly challenged home minister Ramesh Chennithala on social media, daring him to reinvestigate a case while police intensify their search for Ayanki over alleged threats to officers and his connections to a gold smuggling network.
IMAGE: Tamil Nadu Chief Minister Vijay meets Kerala Minister Ramesh Chennithala at the Chief Secretariat, in Chennai, July 15, 2026. Photograph: @CMOTamilnadu X/ANI Photo
Key Points
- History-sheeter Arjun Ayanki publicly challenged Kerala home minister Ramesh Chennithala on social media, daring him to reinvestigate a case.
- Ayanki warned the Home Minister against intimidation, stating he comes from a ‘different political school’.
- Police have intensified efforts to trace Ayanki in connection with allegedly threatening a police officer, with his brother also taken into custody.
- Ayanki is known for his involvement in a gold smuggling network operating through Karipur airport and forming a gang that abducted gold carriers.
- New cases have been registered against Ayanki for threatening police officers and for his social media post challenging the minister, following the dismissal of his anticipatory bail plea.
History-sheeter Arjun Ayanki has challenged Kerala home minister Ramesh Chennithala and asked him not to “intimidate” him, even as the police intensified efforts to trace him in connection with a case of allegedly threatening a police officer.
In a Facebook post, Ayanki referred to Chennithala’s recent warning that there would be a crackdown on goons threatening police officers and his remark, “Wait and see what comes next.”
Ayanki’s Public Challenge to the Home Minister
“I challenge home minister Ramesh Chennithala to order a reinvestigation into the case in which my friends and I were arraigned as accused and jailed. If the reinvestigation proves that I am innocent, then action should be taken against circle inspector Prashanth for abusing his authority by foisting a false case against me,” Ayanki said.
He added that if that happened, he would personally honour the minister with a shawl and “even give him a kiss”.
“But don’t try to intimidate me. I come from a different political school,” he said.
Ayanki’s remarks came days after Chennithala said the government would crackdown on those threatening police officers. “Wait and see what comes next,” the minister had said.
Intensified Police Search and Investigation
Police sources said the search for Ayanki has been intensified and investigators suspect that some of the social media posts attributed to him may have been uploaded by his associates.
Based on threatening voice messages recently received by Kothamangalam circle inspector, the police tracked Ayanki’s suspected location in Ernakulam district and launched searches.
Later, the police found that Ayanki had moved to Thrissur along with his brother. On Friday evening, the police took his brother, Akhil, into custody for questioning, officials said.
At around 7 pm, Ayanki posted a Facebook status containing a UPI QR code seeking donations to meet legal expenses in the case.
The police are also questioning two of Ayanki’s associates as part of the investigation, officials added.
Arjun Ayanki’s Criminal Background
A native of Azhikode in Kannur district, Ayanki first came to public attention in connection with a gold smuggling network operating through Karipur airport.
According to investigators, he formed a criminal gang that initially provided protection to carriers transporting smuggled gold for syndicates operating in Koduvally, Malappuram and Kannur.
The police said the gang later began abducting gold carriers, assaulting them and snatching the smuggled gold.
Ayanki came under the Customs radar in 2021 after an alleged gold-snatching attempt that ended in a road accident at Ramanattukara in Kozhikode district, in which five people were killed.
Legal Actions and New Cases Against Ayanki
The latest case against him stems from a police raid at a resort in Kothamangalam near here, where he and a friend were taken into custody on suspicion of assembling for criminal activities.
After being released on bail, Ayanki allegedly posted threatening messages on social media targeting Kothamangalam Station House Officer, who led the raid.
Based on the officer’s complaint, police registered a fresh case against him.
The Kerala high court recently dismissed Ayanki’s anticipatory bail plea.
The police alleged that after the dismissal of his bail plea, he continued threatening police officers by sending voice messages through social media platforms.
Meanwhile, the Kannur Cyber Police registered a case against Ayanki over the social media post challenging Chennithala.
According to police, the case was registered on a complaint lodged by Kannur District Congress Committee (DCC) president Martin George.
“The post contained defamatory and offensive remarks and was intended to provoke a breach of peace and public order,” the FIR stated.
The police have booked Ayanki under Sections 192, 296(b), 351(2), 353(1)(b) and 356(2) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS), relating to offences including provocation to riot, criminal intimidation, statements conducing to public mischief and defamation.
Officials said the Kannur Cyber Crime Police would coordinate with the Kothamangalam Police, who are conducting the investigation to trace Ayanki.
