THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: An inquiry into the theft case of Rs 3.5 lakh led Kochi police to expose a fake doctor. The accused, Shahi Alam, 26, had hoodwinked the Eloor police for nearly a month. However, when officers reached the national capital in search of him after tracking phone call records, Shahi was found in his clinic treating patients.
According to the police, Shahi, who hails from Uttar Pradesh, broke open the storage box of a scooter parked opposite the SBI branch in Kalamassery and decamped with Rs 3.5 lakh kept inside on February 13.
The money belonged to K S Vishnu, a native of Eloor, who withdrew the sum to pay for his marriage expenses. On realising his money was stolen, Vishnu lodged a complaint with the Eloor police.
Based on CCTV footage, the officers identified Shahi and, upon investigation, found that he, along with another person, followed Vishnu in another two-wheeler and lifted the money when the latter had gone into an ATM kiosk.
Following a scientific investigation, the police traced
Shahi and arrested him from Delhi in March's first week. As his fraud came to light, police ramped up investigations to see if he was involved in any other criminal cases in Kochi.
Earlier, Shahi was staying in Malikampeedika, Aluva. He had told the residents there that he was into the leather business. “We found him treating patients in New Delhi. However, there were no boards or hoardings to indicate that this was a clinic. We have informed this matter to Delhi police. We could not register a case as it was beyond our jurisdiction limits,” says Eloor Station House Officer Rajesh R.
The police took Shahi Alam into police custody for evidence gathering. According to the police, the theft operated by the accused was well-planned. He had been observing Vishnu for a while and knew he would withdraw money from the bank. The police are looking into whether he received any assistance from the residents.