Kuwait, Apr 27 (Kuwait Times): A three-member gang of armed robbers shot dead two guards hailing from Kerala before escaping with KD 13,000 in cash Friday night near the Sulaibiya vegetable market. Later yesterday, police claimed they had identified the perpetrators and expected to arrest them “within hours”.
Sharangdharan, 55, who hailed from the Kozhikode district of Kerala, was shot in the chest and died on the spot, while Muhammad Rashid Jamalullali Thangal, 25, from the Malappuram district of Kerala, was shot in the head and succumbed to his injuries at Farwaniya Hospital. Both were working as security personnel with a leading private security company in Kuwait.
According to sources, the guards – tasked with depositing the day’s collection of a supermarket at the bank via ATM – were attacked by the assailants as they walked towards their security van with the cash chest. The gunmen, reportedly in black attire, fired at them at close range and escaped with the chest containing KD 13,000, leaving the victims in pools of blood. The crime took place around 10.30 pm on Friday.
The suspects did not attempt to break into the armored van that reportedly contained as much as KD 200,000 in cash, according to reports from the scene. The driver was in the van during the incident, but was unharmed. Preliminary investigations indicate that the suspects fired 36 rounds from an AK-47 during the attack. A heavy security presence was reported at the scene following the crime. Sources also said that a car that was found ablaze on the Sixth Ring Road near Sulaibiya was discovered to be stolen and may have been the getaway car used by the assailants.
Meanwhile, Indian Ambassador Sunil Jain told Kuwait Times that the embassy is in touch with the Interior Ministry over the shocking incident. “We will do all what is required in coordination with the Kuwaiti authorities,” he said. Incidents of armed robberies and assaults have often been reported in Kuwait, although criminal acts involving armed gangs gunning down their victims for money are rare in the country.