KOZHIKODE: The Kodencheri police have arrested four persons who were allegedly involved in various inter-state vehicle theft cases. According to the police, Shaji Varghese, 45, Puthuppadi, Abdul Azeez, 54, Puthuppadi, Shyjal C, 26, Kalpetta, Wayanad, M Salim aka Hamsa, 52, Ambayathode, were arrested under suspicious circumstances at Maikkavu near Kodencheri, on Saturday.
During the interrogation, the accused admitted that they were involved in various thefts across Kerala and outside. Police said that Shaji Varghese was an accused in the case related to the burglary of the house of Kodencheri grama panchayat president Antony Neerveli. He was accused in many vehicle theft cases registered by Thamarassery and Koduvally police. The accused had stolen 16.5 sovereign of gold, `23,000 and mobile phones. The police recovered the 35 kilograms of pepper stolen by the accused from a shop in Mananthavady. Besides, the watches and Riyals (currency of Saudi Arabia), stolen by Salim and Shyjal from a house at Kalpetta, were also found.
Salim was an accused in a case registered by Gundalpetta police and had served 18 years imprisonment. Besides, he is an accused in 15 cases of theft registered by Kerala Police. Shyjal was accused in 17 cases of burglary and was convicted in 15 cases, said the police.
All the accused were produced before JFMC Thamarassery, and remanded in judicial custody.