Money heist: accused youths to be taken into police custody

Details of the accused who were remanded in judicial custody on October 21 had already been gathered by the ATS to rule out the involvement of any suspicious elements in the incident

The Koyilandy police will secure the custody of three men on Monday (October 28), who were recently arrested on charges of carting off ₹62 lakh entrusted to them by a private agency for replenishing various ATMs in Kozhikode district. Recovering the remaining ₹7.50 lakh is a crucial task for the special squad, which successfully cracked the case by uncovering a fabricated story behind the heist.

The three Kozhikode natives — Suhail Sulaiman, 24, of Payyoli, Mohammed Thaha, 27, of Kadaloor, and Mohammed Yasar, 20, of Thikkodi — were arrested and produced in the Koyilandy Judicial First Class Magistrate Court on October 21 at the end of a two-day scientific investigation. Suhail, the prime accused, orchestrated the criminal conspiracy and pretended to be a victim to carry out the staged operation with his friends.

On October 21, Suhail claimed that he was robbed of ₹25 lakh while on his way to replenish an ATM at Kurudimukku near Koyilandy. He alleged that two persons attacked him, sprayed red chilli on his face, and left him unconscious in his car. However, the police remained sceptical of his story and questioned him to obtain further details.

A dramatic turn of events came to light as Suhail confessed to the crime within hours of interrogation, revealing the involvement of his two accomplices. Police officers from the special investigation squad reported that they recovered approximately ₹50 lakh from the suspects.

A senior police officer from Koyilandy told The Hindu on Sunday (October 27) that the Anti-Terror Squad (ATS) had already collected details of the suspects from the local police to rule out the involvement of any other suspicious elements in the organised heist. “The youths were found leading an extravagant life funded by the money they accumulated through various businesses, which will be further investigated,” he said.

Published - October 27, 2024 07:36 pm IST