Muvattupuzha police on Tuesday arrested two women in connection with the robbery of gold ornaments from an 86-year-old woman in Kochi. The incident occurred at the victim's house in Mancharipadi, Marady, on Sunday morning.
Accused Identified and Arrested
The accused were identified as Sudha Shankar, 38, from Sempatti, Madurai, and Lakshmi, 46, from Malayagoundanpatti, Dindigul. They were apprehended by an investigation team led by Muvattupuzha DSP Abdul Muneer P.
Details of the Robbery
The robbery took place around 8:30 am on Sunday. According to police, Shankar, who was working as a domestic help, conspired with her friend Lakshmi to plan and execute the theft. The bedridden elderly woman, identified as Mariyamma Paily, was robbed of ornaments worth over Rs 11.6 lakh.
Investigation and Recovery
Shankar was initially taken into custody on Sunday on suspicion but was released after questioning. Investigators, who suspected her involvement, could not immediately recover incriminating evidence. Preliminary investigations indicated that a third person was present in the house. Further investigation led police to Shankar's accomplice Lakshmi. Shankar was again questioned on Monday but was released. According to the FIR, the allegation was that an unidentified assailant pushed Shankar into the bathroom and locked her inside before robbing the woman. The woman was wearing a gold chain and four bangles, totaling around 10 sovereigns. Police later found that Shankar fabricated these stories to mislead the investigation.
The stolen gold jewellery was recovered, and the accused will be taken into custody for further investigation, police said. The investigation team included inspector Anil George, SIs N S Roy, Charlie Thomas, S Sreenath, PCs Jayakumar, M M Ubaid, C B Anilkumar, ASIs M K Girija, A V Dini, and senior civil police officers Haris H, Ratheesh M P, Sreeju Rajan, Binil Eldos, and Ajesh A P.
