76-year-old man gets 13-year jail term for 1988 Wayanad bank robbery
A 76-year-old man has been sentenced to 13 years in prison and fined Rs 16,000 for his role in the 1988 robbery at the Nallurnad Service Cooperative Bank in Wayanad.
Additional District and Sessions Court Judge L Jayavanth pronounced the sentence against Kollam native Abdul Samad on Tuesday. He will have to serve an additional 10 months in prison if he fails to pay the fine.
According to police, the robbery occurred in the early hours of January 8, 1988, when a six-member gang broke into the bank.
The gang reached the bank in a car, forced open the locks and entered the premises. The robbers escaped with a safe containing nearly one kilogram of gold ornaments and Rs 5,544 in cash.
The prosecution said two people who arrived at the bank after hearing the noise were attacked with a crowbar.
Four accused — Subair, Suresh Babu, Alikkutty and Naseer — were arrested and sentenced in 1993. Another accused, O K Babu, remained absconding before surrendering before the court in 2017. He was subsequently sentenced.
Samad was arrested by police in October 2024 and faced the trial while in judicial custody.
The court examined around 40 witnesses during the trial. The prosecution submitted 166 documents and 21 material objects seized under the mahazar as evidence.
The initial investigation was carried out by the then Mananthavady police before being transferred to the District CBCID.
Public Prosecutor E R Santhosh Kumar represented the prosecution. (with inputs from PTI)
