'Despite access to Rs 45 lakh, Rijo took just Rs 15 lakh'; How police solved Chalakudy bank robbery case

CHALAKUDY: After two days of ambiguity and concern, police at last nabbed the suspect who robbed Rs 15 lakh from Federal Bank Potta branch in Chalakudy. The accused was well prepared with shrewd plans to close all loopholes preventing police from finding him.

Potta Asharipara ‘Thekkan Veetil’ resident Rijo Antony (51) was arrested in a move under the leadership of Thrissur Rural SP B. Krishnakumar. The accused revealed to the police that he had spent only five lakh rupees from the stolen money. Police meanwhile seized the scooter used by Rijo for the crime. The accused stated about being in a debt trap and found the bank heist as the sole way to come out of his financial troubles.

Rijo came to Kerala from abroad almost eight years back while his wife is still working abroad. The accused was living with his two children in a luxury house the family bought two years back. Rijo blamed his extravagant lifestyle and alcohol addiction to be the reason for the debt piling up. On Sunday morning, the investigation team confirmed that the robber was a native of the place.

Despite having Rs 45 lakh in the cash counter, he only took only Rs 15 lakh. In the investigation, it was found that the robbery took place within just two minutes. It is reported that the accused feared the chances of employees alerting the police and thus had to hurry with whatever he could gather. The accused is also doubted to have paid off his debt with Rs three lakh stolen from the bank.

Around 6.30 in the evening on Sunday, a police team cordoned off Rijo's house in Potta. The accused was later taken to Chalakudy DYSP office. The robbery took place at 2.20 pm last Friday from the Federal Bank Potta branch. A 28-member team led by Chalakudy DYSP K. Sumesh investigated the case.

•The police tracked phone numbers from the tower locations of the people who were travelling along the highway. It took some struggle to find him as he travelled through many alleys to evade the police.

•To mislead the whole investigation team, the accused chose to speak Hindi while robbing the bank. It was to instil a feeling in employees that the accused was a native of North India.

•Four days ago, Rijo visited the bank and argued over an expired ATM card. The move was to understand the atmosphere and the situation. The accused did not think that the police would find any trace of it.

•The police started the investigation by collecting the names of all the people who made transactions in the bank in the last 15 days.

•The CCTV footage from the time the accused reached the bank, took 15 lakh in the bag and left on the scooter, were scrutinized. After entering the highway, the accused took off his jacket. As the accused was convinced that he could be caught through the CCTV footage, he changed his dress three times.

•The accused took off the scooter mirrors before heading for the crime. After robbing the bank, he chose an isolated place and refitted the mirrors.

•The TVS scooter Ntorq used by the accused was also scrutinised. Police checked the details of people in Chalakudy owning this scooter which eventually led to Rijo.