Valapattanam gold theft case: police to seek custody of suspect

The Valapattanam police will file a custody application on Wednesday (December 4) for C.P. Lijesh, 45, who was arrested for allegedly stealing cash and gold from the house of K.P. Ashraf at Manna in Valapattanam.

The accused, a welding worker, was remanded to judicial custody by the Judicial Magistrate Court (II). The police plan to seek custody for a week to probe Lijesh’s possible involvement in other thefts across the district and to recover more stolen valuables.

Lijesh was allegedly found to have hidden ₹1.21 crore in cash and 267 sovereigns of gold in a secret compartment inside a bed at his house. The theft allegedly came to light after Ashraf’s son reported the loss of ₹1 crore and 300 sovereigns of gold from their home while the family was attending a wedding in Virudhunagar, Madurai.

The breakthrough in the case came after an intensive investigation carried out by a 19-member team led by ACP T.K. Ratnakumar. The team tracked down Lijesh within a week using CCTV footage, fingerprint evidence, and mobile tower data.

According to police, Lijesh carried out the theft in two stages. On November 20, he broke into Ashraf’s house around 8 p.m. through a window and stole the valuables, leaving the house by 8:40 p.m. However, he accidentally left behind a chisel used to break the lock. The next night, he returned to retrieve the tool but failed to find it.

The police suspect his second visit was also an attempt to remove any remaining evidence or stolen items. The police are now examining whether Lijesh hid additional valuables elsewhere and whether he has links to other unsolved theft cases in the district. The investigation continues, with further details expected once the custody application is approved.

Published - December 04, 2024 01:04 am IST