Rajakumari: The police have arrested a youth and his female friend for stealing the gold ornaments of his maternal grandmother after tying up the elderly woman to a dining table at her house in Rajakumari. The accused are Saibu Thankachan (33) of Panniyarkudi, Rajakumari, in Idukki, and Anila (31) of Kanjirappally, in Kottayam. They were taken into custody from Palakkad by a police team led by V Vinod Kumar, station house officer of Rajakkad.

There are four accused in the case. While another accused, Sonia (Saroja), aged 38, belonging to Theruvath, Anjumukku in Thiruvananthapuram, was earlier arrested from a rented house in Manarcadu, the main accused, Althaf, of Kottayam, is yet to be traced.

The alleged robbery took place at the house of Palakkunnel Tomy in Nadumattom, Rajakumari, on December 16. 

According to police, Anila, Sonia and Althaf robbed Tomy’s mother, Mariyakutty (80), of three gold rings weighing three sovereigns each after tying her to the leg of a dining table with a cloth. They also took away cash amounting to ₹3,000 from a cupboard in the house. 

However, Mariyakutty managed to free herself and ran out of the house, forcing the accused to flee from the spot.

Investigations based on an abandoned bike found near Tomy’s house led the police to the accused. The bike belonged to Althaf’s brother, who told the police that it was Althaf who had taken the vehicle from his house. By then, Althaf, a history-sheeter, had gone into hiding.  But the police tracked down Sonia, a friend of Althaf and a suspect in the case, and arrested her. Detailed interrogation of Sonia led the police to the other accused.

Althaf is booked in around 10 cases in the Kottayam, Idukki and Pathanamthitta districts, the police said. Saibu and Althaf met while both were in Muttom Jail, they added. 

Two years ago, Saibu was arrested for storing over 10 kg of ganja at his house in Undamala in Panniyarkutty. At that time, Althaf was on remand at Muttom Jail in another robbery case. They maintained their friendship after release from jail and, at a friend’s wedding, hatched a plan carry out a robbery in the house of Saibu’s mother along with the other accused.

Saibu took Anila and Sonia to Tomy’s house in a car when Tomy and his wife were not there. Althaf arrived on a bike. After the robbery, Althaf abandoned the bike and left the place in Saibu’s car along with the others.

While Sonia and Althaf went to Manarcadu, Saibu and Anila travelled to Amayapra. Two days later, Althaf left Manarcaud. When Sonia was arrested, Saibu and Anila escaped to Palakkad to evade arrest. However, the police tracked their phone location and arrested them.

The police have seized the car used by the accused during the crime and launched a search for Althaf. Saibu and Anila were produced before the court and remanded.