Gold theft on Guruvayur-Chennai train: eight-member inter-state gang arrested

The Railway Protection Force (RPF), in coordination with the Tamil Nadu Government Railway Police (GRP), has arrested eight members of an inter-State organised robbery gang involved in the theft of gold ornaments weighing 1,473.97 grams, valued at approximately ₹2.5 crore, from train no. 16128 Guruvayur-Chennai Egmore Express.

The incident occurred during the early hours of May 16. The accused targeted a bag containing gold ornaments being transported from Thrissur to various jewellery establishments in the Tirunelveli region. After committing the theft, they deboarded the train at Kuzhithurai railway station and regrouped in Thrissur as per their pre-planned strategy, where the stolen gold was subsequently distributed among the gang members.

The arrested accused, all natives of Thrissur district, Kerala, have been identified as Kannambathur Ranjith, Abu Tahir, Gopakumar, Sharafuddin, Siddique, Sujith, Dolly, and Vipin. One accused, Raphael, who allegedly supplied detailed information, photographs and movement particulars of the gold carrier to the gang, remains absconding.

A month-long investigation was undertaken jointly by the Crime Intelligence Branch (CIB) of RPF and the Tamil Nadu GRP. The investigation involved collection and meticulous analysis of more than 200 CCTV footages from railway stations, public places, roads, and commercial establishments in Thrissur and Kuzhithurai, according to the RPF sources.

The accused had subsequently gone into hiding at various locations including Bengaluru, Attappadi, Tirupati, and Visakhapatnam. Through coordinated operations, surveillance and intelligence-based follow-up, all eight accused were apprehended.

100% recovery

Investigation further revealed that the gang leader, Kannambathur Ranjith, had melted a substantial portion of the stolen ornaments into gold bars shortly after the theft with the intention of disposing of the property. During the operation, the investigating team recovered and seized 1,087 grams of stolen gold, cash amounting to ₹49.33 lakh generated through the sale of the remaining stolen gold, and two four-wheelers used in the commission of the offence. Thus, the team achieved recovery of the entire stolen property value, resulting in 100% recovery in the case, the RPF press release noted.

The arrested accused have criminal antecedents involving robbery, murder, gang rape, narcotics trafficking, and preventive detention cases. Gopakumar is also an accused in the widely reported Thrissur honey-trap case.

The entire operation was conducted under the direct supervision of Muhammed Haneef, senior divisional security commissioner, RPF, Thiruvananthapuram.

“This was a highly challenging investigation involving an organised criminal network that had meticulously planned the offence and taken several measures to conceal their identity and destroy evidence. The case was cracked through relentless efforts by the investigating team,” he said.