Nearly a month after the audacious Rs 1.80-crore gold heist that rattled Thrissur, the alleged mastermind of the criminal gang, Padayattil Sijo Jose, also known as Oothappan (36), hailing from Karukutty in Ernakulam district, found himself in custody on Friday. The Thrissur Town East Police apprehended him for his involvement in the brazen robbery, during which they made off with gold ornaments weighing a substantial 3.152 kilograms.
The arrest took place near Angamaly, where a dedicated team under the leadership of Thrissur Town East Police Inspector C Alavi cornered and detained Jose. “Jose is the mastermind in the gold theft case. He, along with the third accused, Saneesh, planned the robbery at a rented house in Aranattukara,” stated the police, shedding light on the meticulous planning behind the heist.
Following the high-profile robbery, Jose swiftly evaded capture and made his way to Tamil Nadu with the stolen gold. There, he employed a sinister tactic, melting the precious metal before transporting it to the towns of Tirupur and Erode. In those locales, he successfully offloaded the melted gold and distributed the proceeds among his accomplices. An officer involved in the investigation stated, “We have seized a portion of the gold and cash from those locations.”
The incident that ignited the investigation occurred on the night of September 8. The accused forcefully snatched gold ornaments from two employees of ‘JP Chains,’ a jewelry manufacturing unit situated in the Dee Pee Plaza Building on TB Road, Kokkalai, Thrissur town. The workers were transporting the gold ornaments in a bag to the Thrissur Railway Station, intending to distribute them to jewelry shops in Kanyakumari, Tamil Nadu. Notably, the manufacturing unit stood just 200 meters from the railway station. In the weeks prior, ten individuals, including the primary suspect, had already been taken into custody concerning the September incident.
Furthermore, law enforcement authorities revealed that Jose faces charges in at least five other cases. These charges encompass a range of criminal activities, including robbery, breaking and entering, and even attempted murder within the jurisdiction of the Angamaly police station. In addition, robbery and abkari (excise-related) cases are registered against him in Irinjalakuda and Chalakudy. Lastly, there is a separate case of robbery in Tirupur, Tamil Nadu, attributed to Jose. Following his arrest, Jose was promptly presented before a court and subsequently remanded into custody.
Post Your Comments