The West Bengal Police have discovered a secret tunnel underneath the house of Saddam Sardar, the prime accused in the Kultali fake gold idol case. The 40-meter-long concrete tunnel connects to a nearby canal flowing into the Matla River in the Sunderbans beyond which lies the Indo-Bangladesh international border. The police have said that 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, July 15.
Notably, the police were assaulted by Saddam’s family members and villagers when they went to arrest him on July 15.
#WATCH | Bengal businessman assault case: Police uncover mysterious tunnel at accused Saddam's home which reportedly leads to Bangladesh.
— Republic (@republic) July 17, 2024
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On July 15, the West Bengal police acted 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 multiple 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.
“He used to lure prospective 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,” the officer added.
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.
Reportedly, Sardar’s brother also fired several rounds in the air to scare off the police.
At least three police officers sustained injuries in the assault. Sardar and his brother Sairul managed to escape and are currently on the run. The police have, meanwhile, arrested Saddam’s wife Masuda and Sairul’s wife Rabia in connection with the attack.
Later that evening, a large police contingent returned to the village to search Saddam’s house. This is when the police stumbled upon the secret tunnel underneath the accused’s house.
“The exterior of the one-story house, painted in light green, blue and purple, looks very ordinary and like any other house in the area. But when police entered the house, they found an underground room. The room had a cot, below which there was a tunnel,” said Rabiul Laskar, a local.
The concrete and brick tunnel was at least eight to 10 feet deep, according to the police. It measured at least five to six feet in height, four to five feet in breadth, and twenty to thirty feet in length. It featured a small iron-grilled door as well. The water in the tunnel is waist-deep.
The tunnel’s aperture within the room was barely two or three feet wide. Once a man goes down, there’s a small iron gate which leads into the main tunnel, which in turn, is connected to the canal.
“Once a person manages to come out through the rear end of the house, using the canal, he could use a boat to reach the Matla River and escape anywhere using the innumerable creeks and rivers in the Sunderban delta,” an officer said.
Speaking about the case, the police said that several such fraud gangs have been active in the Kultali area in the name of selling gold idols.
“It is a regular business in the area. Their modus operandi is calling the buyers with money to collect gold idols. When the buyers arrive with money, the miscreants loot them and escape,” said an official.
“Monday’s mob attack highlights the prevalence of gold idol fraudsters in the Kultali area. Additional forces have been deployed and are searching for other culprits,” the official added.
