4 men flew from Qatar to Kerala for a heist. Year later, BJP leader’s link emerges

In September last year, four men allegedly flew to Qatar from Keralam, broke open the money chest at the IUML’s Kerala Muslim Cultural Centre (KMCC) office and stole 31 lakh Qatari riyals — the equivalent of Rs 8 crore — before flying back home. For nearly a year, the robbery remained unresolved, even as questions began to emerge over the theft and its handling.

That was until Wednesday, when a local Bharatiya Janata Party leader from Kozhikode unexpectedly showed up at Koilandy police station in Kozhikode rural district and made a startling admission — that he had been part of the quartet that broke open the money chest and stole money that was sent to Keralam.

On Wednesday, Parappil Balakrishnan, a welder who had contested last year’s local body polls from a division in Koilandy municipality as a BJP candidate, walked into the police station to turn himself in. In a video he recorded before his arrest, he claimed that he and three others had flown to Qatar last year to break into the Al Tumama office of the KMCC, the welfare wing of the Indian Union Muslim League, an ally of the ruling United Democratic Front.

According to the police, while the incident occurred last year, a complaint was filed only on September 15 this year, leading to an FIR against multiple people for robbery and common intention.

Apart from Balakrishnan, the FIR lists five others as accused — Rashi, Salih, Bombay Shaji, Kamarudheen and Hassan. A local court later remanded Balakrishnan in judicial custody.

The others are currently on the run, police said.

“He was taken to Qatar for this operation,” one police officer said. “It’s only after questioning the others that we can say anything for certain. One of the alleged accused, Bombay Shaji, has moved an anticipatory bail application in the local court and we have filed an objection. Although the robbery took place abroad, we can register the case here as the alleged accused fled to the state after the crime.”

In the video, circulated after he turned himself in, Balakrishnan claimed he knew nothing about the planned robbery when he flew to Qatar, alleging that he was offered a job there by one of the suspects, Shaji Bombay alias Shajahan.

Story continues below this ad

“I was promised a job at the house of an Arab national. Upon reaching Doha, Shaji and Bava took me to a lodge, where I was not allowed to move out freely. They took me out and brought me back by car. One morning, they took me to the KMCC office, threatened me and forced me to break the locker. When it was opened, Shaji took the money. A person named Kamuru was giving the instructions. Shaji arranged a return ticket for me, and I landed in Kozhikode airport. I was cheated by them. I face a threat to my life, and I should not be released on bail,” he said.

Meanwhile, a second audio clip, purportedly capturing a conversation between two accused — Shaji and Kamaru — subsequently emerged on social media. In it, Shaji was purportedly heard demanding his share of the money looted from Qatar. While the FIR says Rs 8 crore was looted, the audio clip claims that the sum was Rs 25 crore.

“The money I had lifted from Qatar was sent to Keralam. I have given you Rs 25 crore. I and Balakrishnan had toiled very hard for it. It has been a year since the incident. I want the money. I will fix the amount that is my share. I never knew that it (the looted money) belonged to KMCC,” he said.

The twist comes a year after the alleged robbery became a major source of embarrassment for the KMCC, which mobilises resources from expatriates from Keralam.

Story continues below this ad

The robbery triggered a controversy within the Qatar unit of the Kerala Muslim Cultural Centre (KMCC), with members questioning the organisation’s leadership over its handling of the theft.

The money was reportedly kept at the KMCC office for its Sneha Suraksha scheme, with members alleging a year later that the leadership had failed to adequately explain the incident, disclose the amount of money stolen or take sufficient steps to identify those responsible.

The FIR was registered last month following a complaint by KMCC Qatar unit vice-president Abdul Rahim P K from Thalassery in Kerala’s Kannur district.