Nedumkandam: Two young men who visited a friend on a stolen motorcycle ended up in police custody after being involved in an accident.

The accused have been identified as Ottaplakkal Anoop (22), a resident of Mangathotti and Ottaplakkal Chandraprasad from Pampadumpara. They were apprehended by the Udumbanchola police on Sunday night.

The duo had stolen a motorcycle belonging to Joy, a resident of Mukkadi near Kanthippara. The vehicle had been parked in the courtyard of his house when it was stolen around 10.30 pm on Saturday. The family only discovered the theft the following morning.

By then, Anoop and Chandraprasad had already left for Kothamangalam to visit a friend. On their return journey, they met with an accident near the 14th Mile area in Adimaly around 10.30 pm.

Alerted by local residents, the police arrived at the scene. Suspicious of the contradictory statements given by the youths, officers conducted a detailed interrogation. It was during this questioning that the two confessed to stealing the motorcycle.

Police also confirmed that the accused are cousins. They were later produced before a magistrate and remanded to judicial custody.