Kodakara Money Heist- Investigation Still Underway: Kerala High Court Denies Bail To Ten Accused

The Kerala High Court on Thursday refused to grant bail to the ten accused in the Kodakara money heist case on the ground that several aspects were yet to be resolved in the matter. Justice K Haripal while delivering the order also suspected it to be a premeditated act on various grounds. 

The petitioners were accused of looting a large sum of money in April and dividing it among themselves. They have been in custody for about two months as of now. The counsel for the petitioners submitted that their further detention was not required since the investigation was at an advanced stage. 

However, Public Prosecutor Sreeja V vehemently opposed this submission arguing that the investigation was only halfway yet and that if the petitioners were released on bail, it would hamper the progress of the investigation. Out of the 3.5 crores looted by the accused, only Rs.1.27 crores could be retrieved as of now. Similarly, the FSL report had not been received, and the mobile phones and vehicles used by the culprits were yet to be traced. The investigation team also informed the Court that a large number of witnesses remain to be examined.

Upon persuing the documents on record and the arguments from both sides, the Court observed that it was not convinced to release the petitioners on bail at this stage. Since several aspects of the crime were yet to be unravelled, and with some of the accused still at large, the Single Bench was not inclined to allow the bail applications. Moreover, a major chunk of the amount, the vehicles used, and the mobile phones used by the culprits were not retrieved till date.   

Considering all the aforementioned factors, the bail applications were dismissed. 

Background: 

The de facto complainant Shamjeer Samsudheen filed a complaint on 7th  April 2021 alleging that a gang had stopped his car near Kodakara overbridge in the National Highway and looted Rs 25 lakh kept in the vehicle and drove away with his vehicle. 

However, the Court noticed that the matter encompassed several mysterious aspects. The actual incident had occurred on 3rd April, yet the police were alerted and the crime was registered only on 7th April.

Similarly, the defacto complainant had submitted to the police that he was looted 25 lakhs by the culprits. Nevertheless, during the course of the investigation, it was disclosed that there was 3.5 crores in the vehicle and that the entire money was looted.

The Single Bench also noted that there were numerous circumstances to imply that it was a premeditated act and that the accused had possibly proceeded after hatching a conspiracy. for instance, the source of the money carried on the vehicle, the purpose for carrying such a huge amount, and other intricate details were not yet traced.

Case Title: Rouf & Ors. v. State of Kerala

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