Valapattanam theft; Accused hid stolen gold and money in self-made locker under bed while wife slept

KANNUR: New details have emerged in the Valapattanam robbery case, where a significant theft took place at the home of rice trader Ashraf. The accused, Lijeesh, a neighbour of Ashraf, was not closely acquainted with him. He stole gold and money from Ashraf's locker, carrying the items in bags. After committing the theft, Lijeesh returned home and hid the loot in a locker he had made under his bed, waiting for his wife to fall asleep before carrying out the act.

In a bid to cover his tracks, Lijeesh turned the CCTV cameras inside the house upside down. However, he made a critical error by turning them toward the room, capturing footage of the crime. The CCTV footage, which was pivotal in the investigation, clearly showed a bald man—Lijeesh—committing the theft. The entire act took just forty minutes.

Upon entering the house, Lijeesh had no knowledge of the presence of the locker. However, after searching through the cupboard, he found the key to it and was able to open it, likely due to his knowledge of making such lockers. After the robbery, he destroyed his mask and clothes to further conceal his identity.

The theft occurred on November 20 but it wasn’t until four days later that the crime was discovered. The accused was arrested twelve days after the incident. In the early stages of the investigation, the police questioned 215 individuals, including Lijeesh and analyzed CCTV footage from areas stretching from Kozhikode to Bengaluru. They also reviewed 63 previous housebreaking cases. Finally, they managed to obtain crucial footage of the accused leaving the scene, which led to his arrest.