Chalakudy police arrested four Assamese ‘labourers’ on Monday after defrauding two people from Kannur of Rs 4 lakhs with the promise of a hidden trove of gold. Mohammad Sirajul Islam(26), Gulzar Hussain(27), Abdul Kalam(26) and Mohammad Musamil Haq(24) were apprehended by Thrissur Police from radical Islamist-infested Perumbavoor in Ernakulam district.
Rajesh and Lenish, natives of Nadapuram in Kannur district, are victims of fraud. Sirajul has been working as an excavator operator owned by one Shamsu in Nadapuram for the past two and a half years. Lenish was working with Sirajul as a tipper driver.
Sirajul convinced Lenish that his friend had found gold treasure while demolishing a building. He added they could buy the gold at a cheap rate. If Lenish could pay seven lakh rupees, he could earn considerable profit. Lineesh fell for the ploy.
Lenish contacted his friend, Rajesh, pawned some gold in a bank and arranged four lakh rupees. The duo travelled with Sirajul in Rajesh’s car and reached Thrissur on Saturday night. Sirajul invited Hussain, Kalam and Musamil from Perumbavoor, and they also reached Thrissur.
They bargained regarding the gold and reached Chalakudy in Thrissur at 1 am. They met at the end of the Chalakudy railway station. The fraudsters from Assam said they would hand over the gold only if the Keralites paid the money in advance. Rajesh and Lenish paid them four lakh rupees.
The accused then handed over a ‘gold bar.’ Unfortunately for the scammers, Rajesh knew how to appraise gold and had a cutting machine. As soon as he cut a piece, Rajesh understood it was spurious gold. The swindlers said they could show it was original gold and took the bar.
Having diverted attention, the accused took to their heels and ran away along the railway track carrying the ‘gold’ and the money. Rajesh and Lenish chased till the end of the platform but could not catch them. Then Rajesh went to the police station and complained.
Initially, Rajesh and Lenish told police that they had come to buy a car and handed over the money for that purpose. However, further questioning revealed the gold scam.
Chalakudy River snakes a few hundred meters from the railway station, and trains cross a river bridge. When the accused ran on the bridge, a train appeared, and all three except Kalam jumped into the river. The train engine hit Kalam’s arm, and he fell near the track. Those who jumped swam to the shore and found Kalam lying on the railway track.
Kalam had fractured his shoulder, and his accomplices carried him on their backs. They walked to Muringoor, 5 km from where the incident occurred, and reached there early in the morning. They hired Jiji’s auto and reached Koratty junction on the national highway. Since Jiji had another ride at 4.30 am, he transferred the passengers to Jayan’s auto. The accused travelled to Perumbavoor and admitted Kalam to a private hospital.
Around 1 am, the loco pilot informed the Chalakudy police station that four people jumped into the river on seeing the train coming, and one of them was hit by the train. Fire and rescue teams, including a scuba team, searched for those who fell in the river, but the police received information that those who jumped from the bridge escaped in an auto.
By then, Chalakudy police formed a squad and started searching for the thieves. They searched in Angamaly and Aluva before reaching Perumbavoor. Only Kalam was there in the hospital. The other three had arranged another bye-stander before absconding from the clinic. Kalam claimed he had sustained the injury at his workplace following a fall.
Police searched the Perumbavoor area and were able to apprehend all three. The victims identified the accused, and police registered their arrest. The police could not recover the whole amount from where the fraudsters lived. Kalam is under police guard at the hospital in Perumbavoor.
A special squad led by Chalakudy DySP K Sumesh investigated the case.
