KOCHI: High drama prevailed at Tripunithura as there were massive speculations over the time of bishop Franco Mulakkal’s arrest . With TV channels flashing the news of his arrest as early as 12 noon, crowd started flowing along the narrow lane to the police complex, the venue of the interrogation.While many channels went back and forth on the news, around 6.30pm prosecution sources unofficially confirmed the arrest. Many Tripunithura residents gathered outside the police centre and by 7pm, the nearby lane was fully crowded.Then, the SP’s car exited the premises and he managed to say, ‘not yet’, as media swarmed his car for a comment. Top cops continued to deny reports of an arrest until 7pm and speculations arose for the next half-anhour. The official confirmation that the SP was assigned to announce the arrest came from the police information centre around 7.30pm.Official messages, that the bishop would be taken to the taluk hospital for medical examination and then to Kottayam came later. By 8.10pm, a police van left the complex and a Tempo Traveller, with curtains covering its windows, arrived at the complex. Few minutes later, another car with similar fittings on its window came to the complex. By 9pm, the bishopwearing a kurta—was taken out of the complex. He then calmly walked to the police jeep. The assembled crowd booed and jeered as the bishop exited the premises in the jeep.Police from Kottayam followed him in the Tempo Traveller. Official sources said that the bishop would be taken to Kottayam tonight where he will be subjected to further interrogation and documentation. He would be presented at Pala magistrate court on Saturday morning.

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