Tobacco theft: One more accused arrested

KOCHI: In a major development in the case pertaining to the theft of a car and the abduction of the driver at gunpoint in Aluva, an accused who was directly involved in the crime was nabbed by the police. A special investigation team under Ernakulam Rural SP K Karthick picked up Anshad, 30, hailing from Vedimara, Paravur, from his hideout in Paravur on Saturday. Police said he was involved in 32 criminal cases, including theft and robbery, and there are cases pending against him at various police stations in Kerala and Tamil Nadu.

“He was a close aide of the main accused, Manaf. He was hiding in his relative’s house at Paravur and police arrested him after receiving a tip-off in this regard,” said an officer. The police had issued a lookout notice against five accused, who are absconding, including Anshad.

The ‘abduction’ was staged by 44-year-old Mujeeb, a Palakkad native, who was a wholesale dealer of chewing tobacco in Alappuzha and Ernakulam, to steal the vehicle which was carrying chewing tobacco that he had ordered from a manufacturer. His idea was to steal the tobacco products and the car to avoid paying money for the consignment.  However, the police detected Mujeeb’s game plan when they traced the contraband at his house.

Mujeeb had hired the gang to loot the consignment and the vehicle, said the police. Around 2 am on March 31, the eight-member gang stopped the car driven by Ponnani resident Sajeer at gunpoint and took it to Companypadi. The gang attacked Sajeer and asked him to leave the car at Kalamassery. They snatched his mobile phone and fled with the car. The car had 15 sacks of chewing tobacco which was smuggled from Bengaluru. Sajeer brought the contraband to sell it in Aluva. Subsequently, the police recovered the vehicle and the consignment from Mujeeb’s house. Seven people, including Mujeeb, have been arrested in the case so far.