The police probing the Perumbavoor looting case on Thursday recorded the arrests of Abdul Halim, who masterminded the operation, and Shamnad, his aide.
Officials said the duo had been in police custody for the last few days, and that their arrests were recorded after intense grilling. Abdul Halim, a native of Kannur, has a history of several criminal cases against him.
Stuffed with stonesBased on the statement of the accused, the police, with the help of diving experts, conducted a search in the Periyar near the Mangalappuzha bridge and recovered a bag abandoned by the gang. “The bag originally contained documents of bank transactions by the victim’s family members. Besides the bag, the accused had taken away gold and cash. To destroy evidence, they stuffed the bag with stones and lowered it into water,” said K.S. Sudarshan, Deputy Superintendent of Police, Perumbavoor.
The police also seized vehicles, including a Toyota Innova, used by the gang.
ThreatenedThe gang members, posing as Vigilance sleuths, had raided the house of Sidhique Abdul Rahman near Perumbavoor and made away with 60 sovereigns of gold and Rs.25,000.
According to the police, the gang forced Rahman’s family members to remain in a corner of the living room before ransacking the house.
The police pointed to the involvement of more persons in the offence, apart from the 14 persons identified earlier.
“The offence was committed by two gangs – one led by Abdul Halim and another by one Chalikkavattom Haris.
A couple of suspects are already on police radar, while the remaining are still on the run, using different phones at different locations to mislead investigators,” they said.
During interrogation, the accused told the police that the stolen gold was with Harris and two of his aides. And, attempts are on trace the trio.
One more in custodyMeanwhile, the police have taken into custody one more person who is suspected to have links with the accused in the Kashmir recruitment case.
