KOCHI: Solving crimes in a time-bound manner is often a challenge for the police. No matter how simple the case might appear, wrapping up the probe successfully within the time is easier said than done. It’s in this context that the feat of Mannanthala police in Thiruvananthapuram deserves a thumbs-up.
Officers at the station managed to crack a heist case involving 215 sovereigns of gold ornaments stolen from the Nalanchira branch of the Catholic Syrian Bank in less than five days.
Three men, including a branch manager, were arrested on Tuesday for stealing the gold from the strong room of the bank. The theft occurred on November 4, a little more than a week after the bank’s auditing.
Bank manager H Ramesh, 31, of Cherthala, B Varghese, 43, of Kudappanakunnu, and M Kishore, 42, of Poovathoor, were arrested by a team led by Inspector Baiju A.
According to an officer, Ramesh had taken loans amounting to about Rs 50 lakh from the bank in his relatives’ names by submitting forged documents. The heist was carried out to repay the loans.
Ramesh stole the gold pawned by seven people, and sold a portion of it with the help of Varghese and Kishore. “Right from the beginning, we suspected it could be an insider’s job, but CCTV visuals before November 4 were not available, as someone had deleted them,” says the officer.
On the day after assessing the exact losses, the police raided the residences of four bank staffers and one of their relatives, recovering some evidence. “It sounds simple, but the case was quite complex,” says Inspector Baiju.
“There were no CCTV visuals of the heist. The footage was deleted or formatted. There were several staff members… anyone could have pulled off the heist.”
Another officer in the probe team recalls that the first step was to check recent financial transactions in the bank. It was found that a large sum was transacted to the bank accounts in the name of Ramesh’s relatives. On verifying those, it was discovered that he had availed it as loans without providing any sureties.
“That was the first lead,” adds the officer. “We could assess that the heist was done to close the loans. About half of the stolen gold was pawned again with the bank, and another loan was secured, which was used to settle the first loan.”
The matter came to light when a customer, who had pledged gold with the bank, came to renew it. To renew the loan, the gold should be weighed again. During this process, the bank officials concerned noted that the pledged gold was missing.
Subsequently, the bank filed a police complaint on January 11. It was found that Ramesh contacted Kishore, who ran a jewellery shop, through Varghese. Kishore sought the help of a goldsmith to melt and sell the ornaments. “All of those involved in the case, including the goldsmith, have been booked,” says the officer.