Karipur gold smuggling: Three more persons arrested

KONDOTTY: The police on Friday arrested three more persons in connection with the Karipur gold smuggling case. Those arrested have been identified as Parakkal Mohammed (40), Jaseer (31), and Abdul Saleem (45). Both Mohammed and Jaseer are members of the Koduvally gang that had attempted to attack the gold carriers and steal the gold. Abdul Saleem was the one who arranged a hideout for the accused. With this, the number of accused arrested in the case has risen to 38.

The accused, who were taken into custody from Belgaum with the help of Karnataka police, were brought to Kondotty yesterday morning.

Though it was initially believed that the accused had entered Goa, the police later found out that the accused had escaped to Karnataka. Following this, the accused were chased and arrested from Belgaum. Expensive iPhones and several SIM cards were seized from the accused. The accused had planned to go abroad.

The gang, including Mohammed and Jaseer, had reached Karipur with weapons on June 21 in a car with a fake number plate. This was the gang that created an atmosphere of terror by throwing soda bottles at the vehicle in which Arjun Ayanki and his gang came. The accused will be taken into custody to find weapons and a vehicle.