Kozhikode: Cheruvannur Government Higher Secondary School is facing a dilemma as it prepares to reopen on Monday, September 23. The school lost six mobile phones, including two iPhones, seized from students during Onam festivities, along with nine laptops and a DSLR camera. A gang of three thieves stole these items after breaking into the office. The estimated loss is around Rs 4 lakh. Several locks on shelves and doors are also missing. One of the accused, from Malappuram district, has been arrested by Nallalam Police and remanded to judicial custody.
The theft was discovered on the morning of September 18 when the school’s security staff noticed the lock on the office door, located on the ground floor, had been broken. Upon inspection, teachers found that the mobile phones, valued at Rs 1.25 lakh, and a camera worth Rs 50,000 were missing. Access to the staff room on the upper floor, where some laptops were stored, was blocked as the lock on the grill to the floor was missing. Later, the police were informed that someone was attempting to sell stolen laptops, which led to a report being made to the school authorities.
While 34 laptops stored in the school’s computer lab remained untouched, a staff member noted that the thieves likely couldn't access the lab. "It seems they couldn’t open the lock," said a school staff member. "The lock of the computer lab is very difficult to open. They might have tried and given up. We found the key on the floor," added Mohammed Musthafa, a higher secondary teacher at the school. Several shelf keys were also reported missing.
CCTV footage confirmed the date of the robbery. Approximately 20 minutes of footage is available before the connection was cut and the electricity disconnected.
Nallalam Police arrested one of the accused, Mushtaq Thottummal (29) from Perunneri, Chelembra, Malappuram, in Kozhikode city. His accomplices, Subin Asok (aka Kannan) and Ashique, are still at large. Some stolen items have been recovered, and the investigation to apprehend the remaining suspects is ongoing, said the station inspector.