Five gangsters held for robbing Kochi Metro employee

KOCHI: Five youths were arrested for allegedly manhandling and robbing an employee of Kochi Metro. 
The accused had decamped with an eight sovereign gold chain, a ring and a bangle weighing six sovereign belonging to the victim last month.

Anoop aka Jango, 30, a native of Adoor, Anoop aka Vattoli, 26, a native of Nooranadu, Shyam, 24, of Thrissur, Mohammed Yusuf aka Ambal, 25, of Vizhinjam and Anoop aka Madapravu, 33, a native of Thrissur have been arrested.

The gangsters were on their way to Thrissur to fulfil a ‘contract’ when they stayed at a lodge near the Ernakulam North railway station. There they got acquainted with the Kochi Metro employee, a native of Chengannur. They organised a drinking session and then allegedly manhandled the victim before making away with his gold ornaments.

They later summoned him to Chengannur saying that they would return the ornaments. On arrival there, he was manhandled again and threatened at knife point. Later, his friends approached the Ernakulam North police and lodged a petition. The accused had given fake documents at the lodge and were traced using the registration number of the vehicle they arrived in. 

Acting on a tip-off, the gang was arrested from a lodge in Adoor on Friday night. “A few more persons are involved in the case and a probe is under way. The police will approach the court seeking custody of the accused,” said V B Anas, SI, Ernakulam north police. 

Among the accused, Anoop from Thrissur has been booked previously in several criminal cases including murder, attempt to murder, robbery, theft and black money transaction. The other accused were also history-sheeters. All the accused were remanded to judicial custody.