Six held in Palarivattom dacoity case; one accused still at large
Palarivattom police have arrested six people over the September 17 dacoity at a migrant workers' rented home, with one accused still absconding.
The Palarivattom police have arrested six people in connection with an alleged dacoity at the rented residence of a group of migrant workers, officials said on Saturday. One more accused is still being sought.
The identities of those arrested have not been released, as an identification parade involving the victims is yet to be held. The six were taken into custody from different locations across the State.
According to the police, five of the arrested were directly involved in the crime, while investigations indicate that the operation was planned and commissioned by two others who reportedly run an illegal business at Palarivattom.
After the dacoity, the accused scattered to various places, prompting police teams to fan out to locations including Kottayam, Palakkad and Kollam. Some of them had attempted to flee to Assam, the police said.
A check of the accused's backgrounds showed that five of those arrested had prior criminal cases against them. Investigators are working to establish the individual role of each accused, track down the remaining suspect and recover the rest of the stolen property.
The case relates to an alleged incident on September 17, when a five-member gang robbed seven migrant workers, among them three women, of ₹1,20,000 in cash, 10 mobile phones valued at roughly ₹3,05,000, gold ornaments and other valuables. The phones and a portion of the stolen money have since been recovered from the accused. The victims were reportedly made to remove their clothes as the gang searched for ornaments.