Guruvayur-Chennai train gold theft: eight-member interstate gang arrested

Representative image | Photo credit: Getty Images

The Railway Protection Force (RPF) in coordination with the Tamil Nadu Government Railway Police (GRP) arrested eight members of an inter-state organized robbery gang involved in the theft of gold ornaments weighing 1,473.97 grams worth around ₹ 2.5 million from Train No. 16128 Guruvayur-Chennai Egmore Express.

The incident occurred in the early hours of May 16. The accused targeted a bag of gold ornaments being transported from Thrissur to various jewelery establishments in the Tirunelveli region. After committing the theft, they got off the train at Kuzhithurai railway station and regrouped in Thrissur as per their pre-planned strategy, where the stolen gold was subsequently distributed among the gang members.

The arrested accused, all natives of Thrissur district, Kerala, have been identified as Kannambathur Ranjith, Abu Tahir, Gopakumar, Sharafuddin, Siddique, Sujith, Dolly and Vipin. One accused, Raphael, who allegedly provided the gang with detailed information, photographs and details of the gold carrier’s movements, remains at large.

The month-long investigation was jointly conducted by the Crime Intelligence Branch (CIB) of the RPF and the Tamil Nadu GRP. The investigation involved collection and careful analysis of over 200 CCTV footages from railway stations, public places, roads and commercial establishments in Thrissur and Kuzhithurai, according to RPF sources.

The accused subsequently took refuge in various places including Bengaluru, Attappadi, Tirupati and Visakhapatnam. Through coordinated operations, surveillance and intelligence-based surveillance, all the eight accused were apprehended.

100% recovery

Investigations further revealed that gang leader Kannambathur Ranjith had melted down a substantial portion of the stolen ornaments into gold bars shortly after the theft with the intention of disposing of the property. During the operation, the investigation team recovered and seized 1,087 grams of stolen gold, cash of ₹49.33 lakh generated by selling the remaining stolen gold and two four-wheelers used in the commission of the crime. The team thus achieved recovery of the entire value of the stolen property, resulting in 100% recovery of the case, the RPF press release said.

The arrested accused have criminal antecedents including robbery, murder, gang rape, narcotics trafficking and preventive detention cases. Gopakumar is also an accused in the widely reported Thrissur honey trap case.

The entire operation was conducted under the direct supervision of Muhammed Haneef, Senior Divisional Security Commissioner, RPF, Thiruvananthapuram.

“This was a very challenging investigation involving an organized crime network that carefully planned the crime and took several measures to conceal their identities and destroy evidence. The case was solved through the persistent efforts of the investigative team,” he said.

Published – 12 Jun 2026 23:35 IST