THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: The probe into the Muthoot heist case is dragging on with just four out of 20 suspects being held even after 16 months of investigation. The burglars had broken into the Kovalam branch of Muthoot Finance Ltd and decamped with gold ornaments worth Rs 51 lakh and cash worth around Rs 2.5 lakh in March 2015.
Two of the suspects were netted in June when Gujarat police arrested them in another case. A third guy was arrested for attempting to rob the Chowwara branch of a gold loan company. A fourth person named Hari Om Mandal was arrested in May from near Mangaluru. The other major suspects who directly took part in heist are still at large.
Many of them hail from Jharkhand and West Bengal and some of them have reportedly sneaked into Bangaldesh. "Recovery of the loot is difficult as the money has been shared by burglars who have sold jewels in various states. Once those in Gujarat finish their penal servitude in that state, we will secure their custody," said officials.
The police, who went to the Naxal-affected areas in Jharkhand a few days after the heist, could not arrest the suspects from their village after local residents there attacked the cops and prevented their arrest. The sensational burglary had led to a series of actions, including police ordering non-banking finance companies to beef up their security. However, with several micro-branches of institutions being opened up, the theft has become common with the last one being reported at Mudavanmugal.
