Missing ₹1.9-lakh watch triggers probe into theft of 124 case properties at Ernakulam District Court

Kochi: Siezed items worth lakhs of rupees, including a watch valued at Rs 1.9 lakh, have been stolen from the Ernakulam District Court. A total of 124 items connected to cases handled by the Judicial First Class Magistrate Court-II (JFCM-II) in Ernakulam have gone missing.

The Ernakulam Central Police have launched an investigation based on a complaint filed by the junior superintendent of JFCM-II.

The missing watch is a Rado timepiece linked to a 2016 case in which a woman entrepreneur from Kochi was threatened by a criminal gang and robbed of a luxury car worth Rs 1.5 crore and the watch. The South Police had seized the items from a moneylender in Triprayar, Thrissur.

Last month, the woman entrepreneur filed a claim petition seeking the return of her husband's watch, and the court granted permission for its release.

The theft came to light when officials checked the storage facility to retrieve the watch for handing it over. A review of documents, including an audit report, subsequently revealed that 123 other case properties were also missing.

The room where the items were kept had been changed at some point. The court register will be examined to determine whether the properties went missing during the transfer or relocation.
Also read | Abhiram murder: 17-year-old suspect alters statement amid protests, clashes in Thiruvananthapuram

Police are also examining CCTV footage as part of the investigation. Statements will be recorded from staff members, including those working in the strong room.

Investigators also suspect that the case properties may have been stolen and destroyed in an attempt to derail the cases.