KOCHI: A family residing in a house on Power House Road at Ayyappankavu in the city had the habit of leaving the keys of the house in a flower pot outside before going out. However, they paid a heavy price for this as 7.5 sovereigns of gold ornaments were robbed from the house in broad daylight.The burglary occurred around 4pm on June 23 and the Ernakulam North police arrested the accused after a detailed inquiry based on CCTV visuals.
Niyaz, aka Jamsheer, 38, a native of Mukkom in Kozhikode, accidentally noticed the family members' habit while passing by the area.Soon after the family of three went to the nearby ration shop, he entered the house after opening the front door using the key and got hold of the gold ornaments.
The family returned around the same time and noticed that the front door was locked from inside. They saw a person running out of the house from the backside. The theft came to light when the family entered the house.
The police who launched an investigation couldn't find any clue initially. The police team examined the footage from around 100 CCTV cameras installed at houses and buildings in the area and identified the accused as Niyaz. He tried to escape when he saw the police arriving at the lodge at Ernakulam South where he was staying. However, the police team managed to arrest him.
The police said Niyaz was earlier arrested for a mobile phone theft. He was also involved in robbery cases registered by Kochi Central police and Malappuram police. The accused was produced before the court which remanded him to judicial custody on Wednesday. A team led by Central ACP C Jayakumar and Ernakulam North inspector E R Baiju made the arrest.