KOCHI: In a bid to nab burglars who decamped with cash and ornaments worth Rs 30 lakh after breaking into a house in Seminaryppady, Aluva, on Friday night, the police team is going through previous cases in which a similar modus operandi was followed.
The special probe team has prepared a list of suspects which includes relatives, servants, neighbours, online taxi drivers and migrant labourers in the area.
According to sources, the investigation team is looking at all angles and it is not ruling out possibilities of involvement of someone closely associated with the family.
The police suspect the involvement of a gang in the crime as a single person could not have operated the break-in. Hence, they mainly suspect that it was carried out by professionals who observed the family members and the house for a while and struck when they went outside.
The team has collected CCTV footage from nearby houses and shops. People who have recently associated with the family are being questioned.
Mobile phone call records and tower locations are being checked. Professional burglars hit a target only after conducting proper scrutiny of the area.
They roam the area in the guise of vendors or sales agents and collect maximum details about their target like number of people, security arrangements and neighbours, said officers.
Even if CCTV cameras are installed, burglars either destroy it or blur visuals, they said. “They chose to break in when the family was away for attending a wedding. Moreover, they must be aware of the fact that the family took the ornaments from the bank locker for the function,” said an officer.
No breakthroughs in previous heists in Aluva area
January 14, 2018: 120 sovereigns of gold and Rs1 lakh were stolen from the house of Abdulla of Padinjareparambil, Mahilalayam Junction, Thottumugham. The burglary occurred in broad daylight. There has been no headway in investigation yet.
February 6, 2019: 52 sovereigns of gold and Rs 75,000 were robbed from the house of Dr Grace Mathews at Athani. Two masked men broke into the house and tied her up. They then decamped with valuables worth Rs 16.44 lakh. No breakthrough in the probe yet.
May 9, 2019: Two unidentified men on a motorbike attacked a car and fled with 20 kg of gold in the Edayar industrial area when it was being transported to CGR Metalloys Pvt Ltd, a gold refining unit. Though four persons were arrested, the gold has not been recovered yet.