KOCHI: Tracing the source of a pepper spray bottle left behind by the culprits has led the Ernakulam Rural Police to untangle a complex case relating to the theft of Rs 22 lakh from a wholesale vegetable shop manager in Kalady. While the robbery was carried out by two persons on a motorcycle, a meticulous investigation uncovered the involvement of 13 suspects and a well-planned conspiracy spanning several days, leading to the arrest of 10 persons.
“The suspects were nabbed by following the trail of the pepper spray bottle they left behind at the crime scene. The batch code on the bottle revealed that it had been sold through the online shopping platform Flipkart. By tracing the purchasers of this specific product, the investigation team identified and located the suspects,” District Police Chief Vaibhav Saxena told TNIE.
The probe team found the boxes in which the order arrived, with another pepper spray bottle present in the combo pack, which was used for practice, the officer pointed out. He said the suspects planned the robbery while in the Irinjalakkuda sub jail.
“There, Anil Kumar T G, the third accused and a former employee at the vegetable shop, explained to the others the sales and the mode of transportation of money. He informed the others they could expect `50 lakh. After his release, Anil resumed work at the company briefly before resigning under false pretexts.
Over the next three months, the accused met at various locations to finalise the plan. They tracked cashier Davis’ route, noted his vehicle number, and even prepared sketches of him and his scooter. They also scouted escape routes by car and bike to ensure they could evade capture,” Saxena said.
The key accused, Vishnuprasad, 25, and Anees, 24, both from Thrissur, stole the money after attacking Davis, the manager of VKD Wholesale Vegetable Shop. He was carrying the collection amount of Rs 32 lakh in two bags. Amid the robbery, the accused also stabbed him with a knife.
However, one bag containing around Rs 13 lakh was recovered by another employee of the shop, who was following Davis on another bike, the officer said. “Vishnuprasad aka Bomb Vishnu was apprehended from Palani and Anees aka Bellari Anees was nabbed from a resort in Wayanad, along with a minor girl. The mother of the minor girl, who kept the stolen amount, was also arrested in connection with the robbery,” he said.
Three others are under close watch and will be apprehended soon, he said.
Accused went on vacation with stolen money
Following the robbery, Vishnu and Anees split the stolen money and both decided to indulge in vacations. Vishnu travelled to multiple locations, including Mysuru and Goa. Subsequently, he embarked on a series of devotional trips and was eventually captured from Palani. Anees, on the other hand, was arrested from his hideout in a Wayanad resort.