Police intensify hunt for armed robbery gang in Kochi

Police in Kochi have intensified their search for members of an armed robbery gang that targeted a rented house in Palarivattom. Three women migrant workers from West Bengal and Assam were allegedly stripped at knifepoint and robbed in the incident.

The five-member gang allegedly broke into the house around 12.30 am on Thursday, where seven migrant workers were staying. The assailants, carrying weapons, locked the occupants inside, assaulted them and robbed them. Police have identified two suspected gang members who remain absconding, with one previously accused in assault cases.

Authorities traced the suspects through UPI transactions conducted during the robbery. The assailants forced one occupant to transfer Rs 12,000 to an account linked to the accused. Searches are ongoing at lodges and other locations in the city as police work to apprehend the suspects and identify the remaining gang members.