2 weeks Ago
Chennai: A 32-year-old man working in Dubai , engaged as a gold mule by a smuggling syndicate , was confined in a hotel room in the city and tortured for four months as he could not deliver the contraband worth `2 crore. Sajimon of Kanyakumari finally made a great escape , and how? He managed to get a pencil and a piece of paper where he scribbled a six-word SOS – HELP. CALL MY WIFE @ 99XXX00XXX – and hid it under a pillow of a hotel room hoping someday someone will spot it and alert his wife.
Freedom dawned for him on Thursday when a hotel guest noticed it and informed his wife. Till that call, Sajimon’s wife was under the impression that he was still working in Dubai. On her complaint, the Triplicane police arrested five men -- New Green Galaxy Lodge owner Imran, 28, his friends Asif Payas, 23, of Chepauk, Mohammad Aalam Affan, 28, Gopi Kannan, 36, of Madurai, and lodge room service staff member Varundharadas, 40, of Odisha.
When police rescued Sajimon, he had telltale torture marks on his body -- burn injuries on his palms, bruises under his eye, and wounds all over his body. Sajimon works as an electrician in Dubai. Four months ago, he was contacted by an agent, Mohammad Malick of Dubai, and was asked to carry gold worth `2 crore and hand it over to someone outside the Chennai airport.
After taking him to a secluded place before he boarded the flight, Malick sent the video footage to Imran showing that the gold was planted on Sajimon’s body. However, after landing in Chennai, Sajimon stepped out of the airport empty-handed and told his handlers that he panicked and left the gold in a washroom inside the airport. Unconvinced by his story, the gang took him to the lodge and confined him.
Police said Sajimon tried to escape a couple of times but was caught by the lodge staff and was thrashed. He was then locked up in a first-floor room at the hotel, where hotel workers kept a constant eye on him. During his confinement, Sajimon was made to do all menial jobs, including cleaning and washing the rooms in the lodge.
Sajimon, who was monitored by the lodge staff round-the-clock, began plotting his escape. He learnt that a few specific rooms in the lodge had been allotted to police personnel, who visit Chennai for court duty and meetings. He stole some blank papers and a pencil and scribbled the call for help on it.
He then carefully kept these papers underneath the pillows of the rooms where cops often stayed. The man didn’t stop his attempt until it was noted by a guest, who informed his wife about him. He is now in a city hospital undergoing treatment for injuries and trauma.
The fate of the smuggled gold, however, remains a mystery..
