Stealing from the smuggler: Karipur gold robbery case takes new twist

Malappuram: The police team investigating the sensational Karipur gold robbery case arrested two more suspects on Friday, taking the investigation into a new phase. The arrested men were Mohammed Salman Salih (29) of Munduparamba in Malappuram and Sadique P P (38) of Parappanangadi, who were produced before court and remanded to judicial custody.

The arrests come days after police detained 13 men who had arrived at the Calicut International Airport on Sunday, allegedly with plans to kidnap a passenger and rob him of smuggled gold.

Investigators found that the accused belonged to five different criminal groups that had converged on Karipur with the common objective of kidnapping the passenger and stealing the smuggled gold in his possession. Following the arrests, police launched a detailed probe to identify the passenger who had smuggled the gold on that day.

The case took an unexpected turn when Mohammed Salman's family reported him missing at Karipur Police Station after he arrived on a flight the same day. Police launched a search and traced him the following day. During questioning, Salman allegedly revealed that he had outwitted the rival robbery gangs and taken possession of the gold himself.

According to investigators, the gold had originally been entrusted to Salman for delivery to a person identified as Subair on behalf of its owner, Anas. However, Salman allegedly decided not to hand over the consignment to Subair and instead planned to transfer it to another individual in exchange for a promised payment of ₹40 lakh.

Later, however, Salman allegedly changed his plan and decided to keep the gold with the help of two friends and share it equally among themselves.

Police said that after landing at Karipur, Salman left the airport with two associates, identified as Shabi and Siddique, and travelled to Shabi's residence in Mukkam, where Sadique later joined them.

The group then drove to Ernakulam, checked into a room, and allegedly broke open the trolley bag containing the gold. The gold was subsequently removed and shared among themselves, Salman reportedly told investigators.

Based on these disclosures, police took Sadique into custody, questioned him, and formally recorded his arrest. Efforts are continuing to recover the smuggled gold and identify other individuals involved in the operation.

Investigators said more arrests are likely in the coming days as the probe expands.