A 76-year-old man has been sentenced to 13 years in prison for his involvement in a bank robbery that took place in 1988 in Wayanad, Kerala. The court also imposed a fine of Rs 16,000 on him. If he fails to pay the fine, he will have to serve an additional 10 months in prison.
Court Announces Sentence
Additional District and Sessions Court Judge L. Jayawanth announced the sentence on Tuesday. The accused, Abdul Samad, is a native of Kollam. Samad was arrested by the police in October 2024. He remained in judicial custody during the trial.
1988 Bank Robbery
According to the police, the robbery took place on the morning of January 8, 1988, at Nallurnad Service Cooperative Bank in Wayanad.
A group of six people allegedly arrived at the bank in a car. They broke the locks of the bank and entered the premises. The robbers reportedly took away a safe, around one kilogram of gold jewellery and Rs 5,544 in cash.
Two People Attacked During Robbery
The prosecution said that two people reached the bank after hearing a disturbance. The robbers allegedly attacked them with crowbars during the incident.
Four accused persons — Subair, Suresh Babu, Alikutty and Naseer — were arrested and convicted in 1993.
Another accused, O.K. Babu, remained absconding for several years. He surrendered before the court in 2017 and was later sentenced.
Evidence Presented in Court
During the trial against Samad, the court examined around 40 witnesses. The prosecution submitted 166 documents and 21 physical items as evidence.
The physical evidence had been seized under panchnamas, which are official seizure records prepared during an investigation.
Investigation Into the Case
The initial investigation was conducted by the Mananthavady police. The investigation was later taken over by the District CBCID.
After considering the evidence and the prosecution’s case, the court sentenced Abdul Samad to 13 years in prison and imposed a fine of Rs 16,000.
