Kerala Police Nab Key Suspect in Rs 1 Cr, 300 Gold Sovereign Theft

Thiruvananthapuram: In a major breakthrough, the Kerala police apprehended the primary suspect in the Valapattanam theft case, where Rs 1 crore in cash and 300 sovereigns of gold were stolen from a residence.

Kannur City Police Commissioner Ajit Kumar stated that CCTV footage was pivotal in arresting the main suspect, Lijeesh. The suspect is the neighbour of Ashraf, whose house was burgled.

Ashraf, a wholesale rice merchant, was in Madurai attending a wedding when the theft occurred. The family departed for Madurai on November 19 and discovered the burglary upon their return on the evening of November 24.

The commissioner informed the media that the accused was identified as a bald individual solely from the CCTV footage. Fingerprints and video evidence collected at the scene were instrumental in solving the case.

Lijeesh entered the house after breaking the rear window. He adjusted one of the CCTV cameras, inadvertently recording himself inside the house.

In a comprehensive investigation, the police examined 100 segments of CCTV footage, analyzed over 100 Call Detail Records (CDR), took the fingerprints of 76 individuals, interrogated about 200 people, and scrutinized nearly 70 criminals with a similar modus operandi.

The police retrieved Rs 1.21 crore and 267 sovereigns of gold from a specially built safe under a bed. Inspections were carried out in 35 lodges. Following the evidence collection, Lijeesh was called in for questioning at the police station recently and his mobile phone was also seized.

Subsequently, Lijeesh was detained and interrogated. After being confronted with the evidence sequentially, he admitted to the crime at approximately 7 pm the previous day, according to the police.

Lijeesh is implicated in another theft case in Keecheri. The police are investigating whether he is linked to other incidents of robbery.