61-yr-old man intoxicated, abducted and robbed of gold chain in Kottayam; three held

Kottayam: Three men were arrested within 24 hours for allegedly intoxicating, abducting and robbing a 61-year-old man of his four-sovereign gold chain in Kottayam's Karukachal, police said.

The victim, Joseph Varghese (61), who was staying in a rented house at Punnaveli, was allegedly assaulted before his gold chain was snatched.

The arrested accused have been identified as Sudheesh Kumar (45), a native of Cherthala staying on rent at Kavalam; Aneesh Antony (47) of Kommady, Alappuzha; and Anil K. Rajan (47) of Thevalakkara, Karunagappally, currently residing at Nalukody.

Police said they recovered a four-gram gold chain and ₹2.96 lakh from the accused.

According to the investigation, Joseph Varghese reached Karukachal on Saturday morning and consumed alcohol at a bar near Central Junction. There, Sudheesh Kumar befriended him, after which the other two accused joined them and continued drinking together.

The group later bought half a litre of liquor and went to the victim's relative's house at Kanichukulam, where they continued drinking. They subsequently returned to the bar in Karukachal on two motorcycles and consumed more alcohol.

When the victim became heavily intoxicated, the accused allegedly took him on a motorcycle to a deserted property at Malikakadavu in Chingavanam. Police said they tied his hands behind his back using his kaili (traditional wraparound garment), assaulted him and snatched the gold chain from his neck before fleeing.

With the help of local residents, the victim returned home and lodged a complaint with the Karukachal police.

Following an investigation led by Changanassery DySP S. Ashad, a police team headed by SI T.S. Jayakrishnan arrested all three accused from different locations early on Monday.