Rs 37 lakh seized from a mosque : 3 Muslim youth arrested

Koyilandy (Kerala) ATM robbery case

Koyilandy, Kerala – In a dramatic turn of events, the Koyilandy Police on Monday arrested three individuals, including the complainant, in connection with an ATM robbery that was carried out on 19th October 2024. The arrested, identified as Suhail Sulaiman (24) of Payyoli, Mohammed Thaha (27) of Kadaloor, and Mohammed Yasar (20) of Thikkodi, orchestrated the heist, in which Rs 62 lakh, meant for replenishing ATMs, was stolen.

Koyilandy ATM Heist case: 37 lakh rupees seized from mosque; Suhail Sulaiman, Mohammed Thaha and Mohammed Yasar arrested

If the stolen money had been seized from a temple, it would have become national news; but take note that when money is seized from a mosque, the media… pic.twitter.com/VrBK99a9oD

— Sanatan Prabhat (@SanatanPrabhat) November 6, 2024

The case initially came to light when Suhail, an employee of India One ATM, lodged a complaint alleging that he was attacked by two masked men while transporting cash to an ATM in Kurudimukku near Koyilandy. According to Suhail’s original statement, the assailants ambushed him during the cash transfer, threw chilli powder into his eyes, tied him up, and stole Rs 25 lakh from the vehicle before leaving him unconscious in the Kattil Peedika area.

However, inconsistencies in Suhail’s account raised suspicions, prompting the Police to investigate further. Led by Rural Superintendent of Police (SP) P. Nidhin Raj, a special team was formed to investigate the case further. Upon further interrogation, Suhail confessed to fabricating the robbery with the help of his two accomplices, Thaha and Yasar.

In the investigation, it was revealed that one of the co-conspirators, Mohammed Thaha, worked in a mosque. The Police recovered around Rs 37 lakh from the mosque in Villiyapally where Thaha was employed. This sum was part of the stolen Rs 72.4 lakh that Suhail and his accomplices had taken during the staged robbery. Additionally, another Rs 5.3 lakh was recovered, which had been given to another person involved in the scheme.  In total, the Police managed to recover Rs 42.5 lakh from the suspects during the evidence-gathering process.

Editorial Perspective

Please note that, if the money would have been recovered from the temple, it would have become the national news; but as confiscation of money is from the mosque, the media suppressed the news !