KOCHI: For 60-year-old Placid KA, 2021 began on a disastrous note. He was robbed of over 80 sovereigns of gold, Rs1 lakh in cash and a smartphone from his residence at Prasanthil Lane, Puthukalavattom, Elamakkara, on Friday.Traumatised by the incident, Placid complained of uneasiness and was admitted to a private hospital. According to police, Placid and wife Sofy were not at home at the time of the incident.
The first floor of the two-storey building has been rented out, while Placid stays on the ground floor. “As per initial details, the burglary may have taken place after midnight. We are yet to ascertain if it was a single person or a gang who pulled this off. We have collected fingerprints from the crime scene,” said a police officer. The gold and cash were stolen after breaking open two iron lockers in the bedroom, added the officer.
The robbery came to light when Tiya Pailly, who is Placid’s cousin and lives in the adjacent house -- which is his ancestral home -- noticed the lock of the back door broken in the morning. “I was the last one to leave the house on Thursday night. I had left the lights on and left after locking the back door. When I came back at 6.30am on Friday, I found the lock broken. I immediately alerted my parents,” said Tiya.
Sayeed Masood, secretary of Prasanthil Lane Residents Association, said it was the tenant living on the first floor who immediately alerted the police of the robbery. “Placid uncle had a dog which died three months ago. Though the association had plans to install CCTV cameras, we are yet to get it done,” said Sayeed, showing the empty kennel in front of the house.
There are 48 houses in the lane and it’s the first time an incident of this sort has taken place in the locality, he added. “Neither the tenant nor the neighbours heard any unusual noise from the ground floor. As it was New Year’s eve, people were bursting crackers from 10pm. That could be why we didn’t hear anything,” he said.
Denny K X, Placid’s younger brother, said both Placid and his wife were at his house in Chullikkal to attend the marriage of his daughter. Some of the jewellery was taken from a bank locker for wearing on the occasion. Placid has two daughters and both of them are married.
While one is in Canada, the other is in Njarakkal. “We strongly suspect the robbery was committed by a person known to the family. Only those lockers where the gold was kept were targeted,” said Denny. Police also suspect the hand of Mariyar Pootham, in the robbery. Though Mariyar commits burglaries only in specific localities in the city, the modus operandi of this incident resembles some of the robberies committed by him.