Kerala Police Arrests Main Suspect In 300 Gold Sovereigns Heist Of Rs 1 Crore

Thiruvananthapuram: In a major breakthrough, the Kerala Police have arrested the prime 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 said CCTV footage was key to arresting prime suspect Lidjesh. The suspect is Ashraf’s neighbor, whose house was robbed.

Ashraf, a rice wholesaler, was in Madurai for a wedding when the theft took place. The family left for Madurai on November 19 and discovered the theft after returning on the evening of November 24.

The commissioner told the media that the accused was identified as a bald person only on CCTV footage. Fingerprints and video evidence collected at the scene helped solve the case.

Lidzic broke into the house after breaking the rear window. He set up one of the CCTV cameras, inadvertently recording himself in the house.

During the comprehensive investigation, the police studied 100 pieces of CCTV footage, analyzed more than 100 call records (CDRs), took fingerprints from 76 people, questioned about 200 people and checked almost 70 criminals with a similar modus operandi.

Police seized Rs 1.21 crore and 267 sovereigns of gold from a specially designed safe under the bed. Inspections were carried out in 35 lodges. After gathering evidence, Lidjesh was recently summoned to the police station for questioning and his mobile phone was also confiscated.

Subsequently, Lijesh was detained and interrogated. According to police, after being given evidence in turn, he confessed to the crime at about 7pm the previous day.

Lidzic is involved in another theft case in Kitcher. Police are investigating his involvement in other robberies.