Theft at MT's house: Lavish spending on house renovation and gold purchase led to culprits' arrest

Kozhikode: The police identified Santha, the cook at the residence of renowned writer M T Vasudevan Nair, as the one who stole gold from the house, aided by clues from her recent lavish spending on a wedding and house renovation. Since the locker was opened using the cupboard key without breaking it, the police suspected from the beginning that the theft was committed by someone closely associated with the household. This led to questioning domestic workers, among others. During questioning, inconsistencies in Santha's statements led to a detailed investigation into her background.

The investigation revealed that Santha had recently renovated her house and conducted her daughter's wedding extravagantly. When asked where she bought the gold for the wedding in September, she responded that it was from a jewellery store in SM Street in Kozhikode, but she did not mention the name of the shop. She was also unable to provide a clear answer about where the money came from. When the police investigated the jewellery store mentioned by Santha's daughter, they found that Santha had purchased gold, accompanied by her husband Sukumaran. However, the police discovered that the person accompanying her to the jewellery store, who was introduced as her husband, was actually a relative named Prakashan.

Evidence from phone records further implicated both Prakashan and Santha. When the police reached Prakashan's house in Vattoli to apprehend him, he tried to flee, according to the police. The stolen items from ‘Sitara’,  M T’shouse on Kottaram Road here, included 26 sovereigns of gold jewellery, diamond-studded earrings, an emerald-studded locket, and other ornaments worth around Rs 15 lakh, which were taken from the locker in a cupboard.