KOZHIKODE: One smuggler with 2.33kg of gold flies into Karipur airport from Dubai and gets caught. Two gangs in five vehicles wait outside. One to receive the gold and the other to snatch it from the first gang. And members of the first gang rev up their three vehicles and speed away after coming to know that their man has been caught with the gold. Not knowing there is no yellow metal for the taking, the second gang chases them in an SUV and a car.
The SUV collides with a lorry loaded with cement bags in the accident-prone Pulinjod curve near Vaidyarangady in Ramanattukara around 4.45am as it rained, killing five of the second gang. Straight from a thriller movie?
Though the entire mystery is yet to be unfolded, the police confirmed that a gang’s attempt to snatch the smuggled gold from the original gold smuggling gang caused the incident on Monday morning.According to information, the customs seized the gold from Malappuram native Muhammed Shafeek, 23, at the airport, torpedoing the plan of the gold snatching gang from Cherpulassery. But without knowing that Shafeek was arrested or not ready to buy the story, the team waited en route in two vehicles for Shafeek — one team in the SUV and another in the car.
Meanwhile, the team that reached the airport to receive Shafeek and the gold in three vehicles returned after Shafeek was held. The Cherpulassery gang chased the three vehicles and it resulted in the SUV colliding with the lorry coming from Thrissur side to Kozhikode. Shafeek flew down from Dubai with more than Rs 1 crore worth of gold around 2.30am on Monday. He allegedly concealed the gold inside a coffee maker.
“We have learnt that five vehicles and several persons were involved in the incident. The Cherpulassery gang had also made ready a tipper lorry to block the gold smuggling team if they failed to chase them down,” said an investigation officer. However, the police had no clue about anyone in the first gang, except that it may have connections with Koduvally or Kannur gangs.
The Feroke police tracked down eight persons who had travelled in the Innova car through the mobile phone details of the deceased.“On quizzing, they gave contradictory statements. One told us that they were at the airport to pick up a friend but were going to buy water. Another person said they were coming from the airport after receiving an iPhone which was sent by a friend through a passenger,” said the cop. The police had also come across liquor bottles near the accident site, hinting that the deceased could have been drunk.After interrogation for hours, police registered a case under Section 399 of IPC (making preparation to commit a dacoity) against the eight. It is learnt that the case will be handed over to Karipur police on Tuesday.