Six sovereigns of gold were stolen from Justice A Badharudeen’s high-security residence in Kochi. FIR registered under BNS 305; investigation underway.
Kochi: Today, on June 27, In a surprising and serious incident, Kerala High Court Judge Justice A Badharudeen has filed a police complaint stating that six sovereigns of gold were stolen from his house.
This theft happened inside the judge’s bedroom, which is located in a high-security residence in Kochi city, raising strong concerns about law and order in the state.
The complaint was filed on Thursday with the Kalamassery police station, which has jurisdiction over the judge’s residence.
After receiving the complaint, the Kochi police registered a First Information Report (FIR) under Section BNS 305. According to officials, the police are currently carrying out an initial investigation.
The authorities are surprised and concerned because the theft took place from the home of a sitting High Court judge, which is under tight security.
As one officer put it,
“What has surprised many is that the thief has decamped with gold from a high-security guarded house located in the heart of the commercial capital of the state.”
The police are now planning to prepare a list of people they need to question, since the theft occurred inside the judge’s bedroom.
A police officer said,
“After the preliminary probe, the police are now planning to prepare a list of those who need to be spoken to, as this incident occurred in the bedroom of the senior judge.”
This incident has once again brought into focus the rising crime rates in Kerala. The Congress-led United Democratic Front (UDF) has criticised the state government for failing to control criminal activities.
They have said that Kerala is becoming unsafe, and organised gangs from neighbouring states are taking advantage of the situation.
According to official information from the home department, placed before the Kerala Legislative Assembly last year, there has been a steady increase in thefts by non-Keralites over the past few years. In 2021, there were 192 cases of theft involving non-Keralites.
This increased to 360 in 2022. In 2023, the number went up again to 519. By September 2024, 307 such theft cases had already been registered.
Though the situation looks grim, the Kerala Police have had some success in catching thieves. Reports say that
“the image of the Kerala Police got a boost when over 1,350 thieves during this period were put behind bars.”
However, investigating a case that involves theft from a judge’s home will be a major challenge for the police.
“With regards to the case being registered in the burglary at the home of a judge, the police appear to have a tough job ahead.”
Because of the rising number of thefts and other crimes in Ernakulam and surrounding areas, the local police have issued a new guideline for landlords.
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If landlords wish to rent out their properties, they must now ask tenants to get police verification from their earlier place of stay.
As the advisory noted,
“The Ernakulam Police have come out with a directive to landlords who are seeking to rent out their properties. The police have urged the landlords to get a police clearance certificate from the prospective tenants from their local police station where they stayed.”
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