KOCHI: The disappearance of 124 case properties (materials logged as evidence) from the Ernakulam District Court has triggered an extensive police probe, with investigators set to scrutinise records dating back to 2012.
Police sources said the investigation would involve a detailed examination of court registers and other records to trace the movement and custody of the missing articles over the years and ascertain whether the materials went missing while being shifted from the treasury to the storeroom at various points in time.
The possibility of a conspiracy, a deliberate attempt to remove and destroy the pieces of evidence is also be a focus of the probe, sources said.
The disappearance of the 124 articles, including a Rado wristwatch valued at Rs 1.9 lakh, came to light last month when a woman sought the release of her husband’s watch that was seized in a 2016 robbery case. The court granted nod to release the watch, but officials could not locate it in the storage facility. Subsequent verification of the records, including the audit report, revealed that 123 other case properties were also unaccounted for.
The missing articles were all related to cases handled by the Judicial First Class Magistrate Court-II. The Ernakulam Central Police registered a case on a complaint lodged by the court’s junior superintendent.