20 sovereigns, Rs 3.07 lakh looted from two houses

KOCHI: In a clear case of planned burglary, nearly 20 sovereigns of gold worth `7 lakh and `3.07 lakh in cash were stolen from two houses at Mekkadi near Kalady early on Saturday morning. While the first theft was reported from the house of Muhammed Sheriff of Kalady, a businessman, the second was reported from his neighbour Byjy’s house. The robber stole 20 sovereigns of gold and `3 lakh in cash from Sherif’s house. Byju lost nearly Rs 7,000 which was stored in the cupboard of his bedroom.

According to Kalady police, the robber stole the cash and gold from the room where Muhammed and his wife, along with his children, were sleeping. “As per our preliminary observation, the robber entered the house through the terrace. Since there was no other entrance, it was the only way to enter the house,” said SHO, Kalady police station.

The family members came to know about the incident only in the morning when they saw the front door of the house open. “In both cases, the theft occurred inside the bedroom when the family members were in deep sleep. They came to know about the incident only in the morning. It is crystal clear that the robber is a professional,” said another officer on condition of anonymity.

Since there was no CCTVs in the area, the investigation will prove to be a tough task for the officers. “We need to check CCTV footage from other parts of the area. Since there are no CCTVs in adjacent areas, collecting evidence will take a long time,” the officer added.

Meanwhile, the preliminary conclusion of the police is that the crime was committed by a single person as they could recover only one fingerprint from the spot. “The way of operation carried out by the robber in both cases suggests that only one person is involved in the crime. The only difference is that he entered Byju’s home through the front door. But he used the entrance to the terrace to reach Sheriff’s bedroom,” the officer added. The police conducted an inspection with the help of a dog squad. However, the dog squad could not trace the footprints of the robber. “We are awaiting a detailed report from fingerprint experts.