Stories
Kochi Synagogue Banners Set on Fire Despite 24x7 Police Protection
- •Banners and flex boards in front of the Kadavumbhagam Synagogue on Ernakulam Market Road were set on fire using petrol in the early hours of Monday.
- •The attack occurred around 2:40 a.m. while the historic site was under round-the-clock police protection due to tensions in West Asia.
- •Police apprehended a young suspect from the Aluva Rural Police jurisdiction by tracking his car's registration number through CCTV footage.
- •During questioning by city police and central investigative agencies, the suspect claimed he acted on instructions from someone he had never met.
- •The charred banners belonged to nurseries operating on the synagogue premises and were discovered by an employee early Monday morning.
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Banners and flex boards in front of the historic Kadavumbhagam Synagogue were doused with petrol and set on fire in the early hours of October 12, 2026. The attack targeted a nursery operating on the synagogue premises, leaving charred marks.
A 32-year-old man named Ebin B. Paul, a resident of Puthencruz, was arrested by the Kochi City Police in connection with the arson attack. A court later granted five days of police custody for further interrogation.
Central investigative agencies and the Kerala ATS are probing the incident due to suspicious communications on the suspect's phone, potential foreign connections, and suspected international terror links. Investigators are examining instructions from an un-met handler known as 'boss' and cryptocurrency or financial transactions.
