Chelembra bank robbery

Last updated

The Chelambra bank robbery in the Malappuram district of Kerala, India is considered to be one of the biggest and most sensational bank robberies in the crime history of Kerala. [1] In the early hours of 30 December 2007, the robbers made a hole in the floor of the Kerala Gramin Bank and got away with 80 kilograms of gold and 5,000,000 rupees, a total value of 80 million Indian Rupees. [2]

Contents

Robbery

The bank was in the first floor of a building. The ground floor had a restaurant that was up for rent. The four-member gang rented the restaurant by giving an advance payment of about Rs. 50,000. They shut down the front door and placed a board saying that it was under renovation and would reopen on 8 January 2008. To make things more convincing, they even bought new furniture for the restaurant and much construction material for the site. They also covered up the windows with newspapers to avoid being suspicious.

Those who were watching the scene would have thought that repairs were going on. But they were cracking the first floor open, where the strong room was kept. They made a hole in the ceiling to the strong room where they took the money from iron safes that they cut open using a gas cutting machine. They took away gold and cash kept inside the safe. [3] [4]

Investigations by Kerala Police

The Kerala Police quickly formed a number of special teams. A special team led by Malappuram Superintendent of Police P. Vijayan and Deputy Superintendent K K Ibrahim conducted the investigation under the supervision of K.S.Jangpangi the Additional Director General of Kerala Police. The team consisted of Circle Inspectors of Police Vikraman and M.P Mohanachandran, SI Anvar Hussain and other officers from the subordinate ranks . It was a challenging task for Kerala Police to begin investigation as there was no evidence and no leads available for them to proceed with. Like many other bank robberies, it was done at the wee hours of a Sunday, since it is a holiday and it had come to light only on the next day.

However, police made a computer graphic sketch image of the main culprit as illustrated by eyewitnesses and neighbors. The criminals tried to create an impression of Naxalite involvement in the robbery by quoting a sentence Jai Mao (praising naxalism) at the scene of the crime to deviate enquiry. There were many attempts by the culprits to divert the whole attention of the investigation team to Hyderabad. According to police officials, the criminals had purposely left one kilogram of looted gold in a hotel room in Hyderabad and made telephone calls from many different cities of India to mislead the investigation.

The police team also monitored all telephone calls in the closest mobile signal towers at the location of the crime during the midnight hours of the incident. It was a big task monitoring more than two million calls. The help of various mobile service providers and IT professionals was also enlisted for the probe.

And finally, it was the identification of a secret phone number used by the main suspects to communicate between themselves, that became the turning point in the investigation.

Arrests

The police team finally zeroed in on a house in Kozhikode where the accused were hiding and arrested four people including Joseph alias Jaison alias Babu, the kingpin of the operation along with three others including a woman and recovered 80% of the stolen gold and money. It is the first recovery in the crime history of Kerala of so much stolen property. The police further said that the remaining items would be traced within days as the accused have already confessed their location. [5] The official arrest was formally announced on 28 February 2008 by K S Jangpangi, the additional director general of Kerala police.

It is widely considered to be a credit to Kerala police that they solved the biggest robbery in the state within a short period and with the first recovery of so much stolen property. [6]

Crime inspired by Dhoom

The leader confessed that the crime was inspired by the Bollywood film Dhoom . In the film, robbers make a hole in the ground floor of a bank and get away with the valuables during the New Year event. But the plan did not go as planned as the dynamites used to blow off the ceiling did not deal any damage. [7]

Book and film adaptation

The robbery has been written in detail by true crime bestselling author Anirban Bhattacharyya in the book India's Money Heist: The Chelembra Bank Robbery which he co-wrote with IG of Kerala, P. Vijayan, published by Penguin Random House in 2022. The book was launched by Mohanlal at Lulu International Shopping Mall, Kochi. [8] In August 2022, it was reported that the book's film adaptation right have been sold, with Mohanlal essaying the role of the officer P. Vijayan, while Fahadh Faasil would play criminal Babu. [9]

Related Research Articles

The Brink's-Mat robbery occurred at the Heathrow International Trading Estate, London, United Kingdom, on 26 November 1983 and was one of the largest robberies in British history. £26 million worth of gold bullion, diamonds, and cash was stolen from a warehouse operated by Brink's-Mat, a former joint venture between US security company Brink's and London-based company MAT Transport. The bullion was the property of Johnson Matthey Bankers Ltd. Micky McAvoy and Brian Robinson were convicted of armed robbery. Most of the gold has never been recovered. Lloyd's of London paid out for the losses, and several shooting deaths have been linked to the case.

<i>Nadodikkattu</i> 1987 Indian film

Nadodikkattu is a 1987 Indian Malayalam-language satirical comedy film directed by Sathyan Anthikad and written by Sreenivasan based on a story by the Siddique–Lal duo. It stars Mohanlal and Sreenivasan in the lead roles, along with an ensemble supporting cast featuring Shobhana, Thilakan, Innocent, Mamukkoya and Captain Raju. The story revolves around two impecunious young men, Ramdas and Vijayan who not being able to find any job in Kerala, plan to immigrate to Dubai to make their fortunes but get deceived and end up in Chennai. The film drew upon relevant social factors affecting Kerala of the 1980s such as widespread unemployment and poverty.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Securitas depot robbery</span> 2006 heist in Tonbridge, England

The 2006 Securitas depot robbery in Tonbridge, England, was the UK's largest cash heist. It began with a kidnapping on the evening of 21 February 2006 and ended in the early hours of 22 February, when seven criminals stole almost £53 million. The gang left behind another £154 million because they did not have the means to transport it.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Fazil (director)</span> Indian film director

Abdul Hameed Muhammed Fazil, known mononymously as Fazil, is an Indian film director, producer, screenwriter and actor who works in Malayalam cinema, in addition to directing a handful of Tamil films. He made his directional debut with the 1980 film Manjil Virinja Pookkal.

P Vijayan, is the Inspector General of Police. He is a 1999 batch official of the Indian Police Service. He is the founder and chief architect of the Student Police Cadet Project, a youth development initiative.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">South Malabar Gramin Bank</span>

South Malabar Gramin Bank Malappuram Kottakunnu was a Regional Rural Bank in India, and had its headquarters at Malappuram in Kerala. Its area of operation was limited to 8 districts in Kerala, India. It had been financing farm & non-farm sectors and other employment generation programs through its 506 branches spread over these 8 districts.

<i>Pattanapravesham</i> 1988 Indian film

Pattanapravesham is a 1988 Indian Malayalam-language detective comedy film directed by Sathyan Anthikad and written by Sreenivasan. It stars Mohanlal, Sreenivasan, Karamana Janardhanan, Ambika and Thilakan in the lead roles. It is a sequel to the 1987 film Nadodikkattu, Mohanlal and Sreenivasan reprises their roles as Ramdas / Dasan and Vijayan, respectively. The plot follows Dasan and Vijayan who are now C.I.Ds in Tamil Nadu Police, who are charged with investigating a homicide case. The film was produced by Siyad Koker under the banner of Kokers Films.

<i>Akkare Akkare Akkare</i> 1990 Indian film

Akkareyakkareyakkare, also known Akkare Akkare Akkare is a 1990 Indian Malayalam-language buddy cop comedy film directed by Priyadarshan and written by Sreenivasan. It stars Mohanlal, Sreenivasan, M. G. Soman, Mukesh, Maniyanpilla Raju, Parvathy and Nedumudi Venu in major roles. It is a sequel to 1987's Nadodikkattu and 1988s Pattanapravesham; Mohanlal and Sreenivasan reprises their roles. However, Thilakan, Mamukkoya and Innocent, who have appeared in the previous films, do not appear in this film. Also, a new cast of Nedumudi Venu, Sukumari, Parvathy Jayaram, Jagadish,Mukesh and Maniyanpilla Raju appears. M. G. Soman plays a character role, having appeared as himself in Nadodikkattu. The story follows C.I.Ds Dasan and Vijayan on an investigation for a gold crown stolen to the United States.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">B. Unnikrishnan</span> Indian film director, screenwriter, film distributor, exhibitor and producer

Unnikrishnan B is an Indian film director, screenwriter, distributor and exhibitor who works in the Malayalam film industry.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Fahadh Faasil</span> Indian actor, film producer (born 1982)

Abdul Hameed Mohammed Fahadh Fazil is an Indian actor and producer who predominantly works in Malayalam and Tamil films. He has acted in more than 50 films and has received several awards, including a National Film Award, four Kerala State Film Awards, and three Filmfare Awards South.

<i>D Company</i> (2013 film) 2013 Indian Malayalam film

D Company is a 2013 Indian Malayalam anthology gangster drama film. It is an anthology of three independently shot films directed by M. Padmakumar, Diphan, and Vinod Vijayan. It includes a huge ensemble cast of Jayasurya, Fahadh Faasil, Anoop Menon, Unni Mukundan, Asif Ali, Samuthirakani, Ananya, Bhama, Parvathi Nair, Aadukalam Naren, Rajeev Pillai, Jinu Joseph, Joju George, Deepak Parambol and Pooja Ramachandran. The film is produced by Vinod Vijayan, Seven Arts Mohan and Faisal Latheef under the banner of D Cutz Film Company and distributed by Seven Arts International.

<i>Red Wine</i> (2013 film) 2013 Indian film

Red Wine is a 2013 Indian Malayalam-language thriller film directed by Salam Bappu and written by Mammen K. Rajan from a story by Noufal Blathoor. It stars Mohanlal, Fahad Fazil, and Asif Ali. The film's soundtrack and background score were composed by Bijibal. Red Wine was released on 21 March 2013. The film was later dubbed into Telugu under the same title.

Dileesh Philip, also known as Dileesh Pothan is an Indian film director, actor and producer, who works in Malayalam cinema. He made his directorial debut with the 2016 comedy drama film Maheshinte Prathikaaram, starring Fahadh Faasil. The film received the Best Feature Film in Malayalam Award at the 64th National Film Awards. Pothan also won the Best Director Award at the 64th Filmfare Awards South.

<i>Thondimuthalum Driksakshiyum</i> 2017 Indian film

Thondimuthalum Driksakshiyum is a 2017 Indian Malayalam-language crime drama film directed by Dileesh Pothan and written by Sajeev Pazhoor. The film stars Fahadh Faasil and Suraj Venjaramoodu, with Nimisha Sajayan, Alencier Ley Lopez, Vettukili Prakash, and Sibi Thomas in supporting roles. Syam Pushkaran served as a creative director of the film. Bijibal composed the music and Rajeev Ravi handled the cinematography.

<i>Trance</i> (2020 film) 2020 Indian Neo-Noir film directed by Anwar Rasheed

Trance is a 2020 Indian Malayalam language neo-noir psychological thriller film directed and produced by Anwar Rasheed and written by Vincent Vadakkan. It features an ensemble cast including Fahadh Faasil, Gautham Vasudev Menon, Dileesh Pothan, Nazriya Nazim, Chemban Vinod Jose, Soubin Shahir, Sreenath Bhasi, Vinayakan and Arjun Ashokan. The film was produced by Rasheed himself under the banner of Anwar Rasheed Entertainments. The film's plot follows the events in the life of Viju Prasad, played by Faasil, a Kanyakumari-based atheist motivational speaker, who is hired by a fraud agency to work as a Christian pastor. The film deals with themes of substance dependence, religion, and the commercialisation of spirituality.

<i>Asuraguru</i> 2020 Indian Tamil-language action thriller film

Asuraguru is a 2020 Indian Tamil-language action thriller film written and directed by A.Raajdheep, produced by JSB. Sathish under JSB film studios banner, dialogues penned by Kabilan Vairamuthu and Chandru Manickavasagam. The film stars Vikram Prabhu, Mahima Nambiar in lead roles while Subbaraju, Yogi Babu, and Nagineedu playing supportive roles in the film. The film is bankrolled by J.S.B. Sathish under his production company JSB Film Studios. The film released on 13 March 2020.

<i>Malik</i> (film) 2021 film by Mahesh Narayanan

Malik (transl. King) is a 2021 Indian Malayalam-language political thriller film directed, written and edited by Mahesh Narayanan. It was produced by Anto Joseph through Anto Joseph Film Company along with Carnival Movie Network. The film stars Fahadh Faasil with Nimisha Sajayan, Vinay Forrt Jalaja, Joju George, Dileesh Pothan and Indrans in supporting roles. The music was composed by Sushin Shyam.

<i>Joji</i> (film) 2021 Indian film

Joji, or stylized as JOJI, is a 2021 Indian Malayalam-language crime drama film directed by Dileesh Pothan and written by Syam Pushkaran. The story is inspired by William Shakespeare's play Macbeth. The film was produced by Bhavana Studios in association with Working Class Hero, and Fahadh Faasil and Friends. Fahadh Faasil plays the title character, while Baburaj, Shammi Thilakan, and Unnimaya Prasad play other pivotal roles. The plot revolves around a wealthy family of three sons and a father living in the countryside of Kerala.

<i>Thankam</i> (film) 2023 Indian film directed by Saheed Arafath

Thankam (transl. Gold) is a 2023 Indian Malayalam-language crime film directed by Saheed Arafath and written by Syam Pushkaran. It stars Biju Menon, Vineeth Sreenivasan and Aparna Balamurali in lead roles. The film is produced by Bhavana Studios in association with Working Class Hero and Fahadh Faasil and Friends. The film is based on an incident that happened to a jeweller in Thrissur.

<i>Kolla</i> (2023 film) 2023 Malayalam film by Suraj Varma

Kolla (transl. Robbery) is a 2023 Indian Malayalam-language heist film directed by Suraj Varma in his directorial debut and featuring Rajisha Vijayan and Priya Prakash Varrier in the lead roles. It is written by Jasim Jalal and Nelson Joseph based on the story by Bobby–Sanjay. The film is loosely based on the 2008 Chelembra bank robbery.

References

  1. ↑ "Police arrest four in Kerala's largest bank heist". NewKerala.com.
  2. ↑ "Rs.8 crore stolen from gramin bank". InsiderKerala.[ permanent dead link ]
  3. ↑ Malayala Manorama second headline & inner page news, 31 December 2007
  4. ↑ "Bank robbed of crores". webindia123.com. Archived from the original on 18 June 2008. Retrieved 29 February 2008.
  5. ↑ "Chelembra Bank Robbery: Remaining booty to be traced soon". The New Indian Express. Archived from the original on 18 June 2008.
  6. ↑ "Police leave a mark in crime detection". The Hindu . Chennai, India. 29 February 2008. Archived from the original on 11 March 2008.
  7. ↑ "Bollywood scripts Kerala's bank heist". DNA.
  8. ↑ "A decade long chase of a robbery story". The Hindu.
  9. ↑ "movie on indian money heist mohanlal to plat ig vijayan, fahadh faasil as heist's mastermind". Keralakamudi.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.