The special investigation team probing the theft of 300 grams of gold and ₹1.8 lakh from the house of a goldsmith at Aluva by a four-member gang in the guise of Income Tax (I-T) officials in June has arrested the alleged mastermind behind it.
The arrested is Harris, 53, of Kannur. He had allegedly been hopping around various hideouts across Delhi, Mumbai, Chennai, and Maharashtra for the past three months. He was eventually nabbed from his home district when he returned.
The police said he was an accused in a case registered for abducting a man in connection with gold smuggling at Koothuparambu. His wife Suhara had been arrested in the case. District Police Chief (Ernakulam Rural) Vivek Kumar led the operation.
So far, seven persons, including five who were directly involved in the alleged theft, have been arrested. Among the arrested are residents of Goa.
The alleged theft took place in broad daylight at the house of Sanjay on June 5. The accused posing as I-T officials reportedly rummaged through the house for about one-and-a-half hours, and took away 300 grams of gold, a sum of ₹1.80 lakh, bank passbooks, PAN card, and other documents.
