A secret tunnel has been discovered by the West Bengal Police underneath the house of Saddam Sardar, the prime accused in the Kultali fake gold idol case.
Notably, the 40-meter-long tunnel connects to a nearby canal flowing into the Matla River in the Sunderbans beyond which lies the Indo-Bangladesh international border. ‘The accused used this tunnel as an escape route when police raided his house in Kultali in West Bengal’s South 24 Parganas district on Monday’, said the police.
The police were assaulted by Saddam’s family members and villagers when they went to arrest him on July 15. On July 15, the West Bengal police took action on complaints they received against one Saddam Sardar and his brother Sairul. They were accused of duping many people by selling them fake gold idols on social media and also taking money from people and not delivering the items to them.
‘Saddam and his brother Sairul are accused in various cases, and it is suspected that the tunnel was built in his house to serve as an escape route if police raid his house’, said an officer of Baruipur police district.
The officer added, ‘He used to lure buyers saying that he had gold bars and idols which he wanted to sell off at cheaper rates. He would show them fake gold items. Once the buyers came, Saddam would take them to an isolated place and would assault the person and snatch all his belongings’.
On Monday, the police raided Saddam’s house and arrested him. He was arrested in connection with a case in which he duped a man from Nadia district by selling him a fake gold idol worth Rs 12 lakh.
Later, when the police were taking Saddam away, his family members, including women and his brother engaged in a scuffle with the police. A mob also joined them in attacking the police team and facilitated Saddam’s escape.
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