Ernakulam: In a major security lapse, case property linked to 124 cases has gone missing from the strong room of the Ernakulam District Court in Kerala, raising serious concerns over the security and accountability of evidence kept in judicial custody.
The disappearance came to light after a litigant approached the court to collect a luxury Rado watch worth Rs 1.90 lakh following the conclusion of a case before the Judicial First Class Magistrate Court-2. However, when court officials attempted to retrieve the watch, they found that it was missing.
The watch was reportedly part of the evidence in a 2016 Kochi case in which a quotation gang allegedly threatened a woman industrialist and took away a luxury car valued at Rs 1.5 crore, along with the watch. Police subsequently recovered the car from a moneylender in Thriprayar, Thrissur.
Following the complaint over the missing watch, an audit was initiated, which uncovered a much larger discrepancy. Property connected to 123 additional cases was also found to be unaccounted for, taking the total number of affected cases to 124. Watches of various brands reportedly constitute a significant portion of the missing items.
Ernakulam Central Police have registered a case based on a complaint filed by the court’s junior superintendent.
As part of the investigation, officials are expected to question the employee responsible for the strong room to determine how the case property went missing.
The incident has triggered serious questions about the security of the court’s strong room and the procedures in place to safeguard evidence and other property held in judicial custody.
