Parappil Balakrishnan surrendered over the theft of a Doha welfare fund. His claims of being misled and the delayed complaint are under police investigation.
Balakrishnan claimed he was deceived into participating in the operation without knowing that the target was the KMCC office. (Credits: PTI)
Kozhikode, Kerala,Oct 23, 2026 15:01 IST
A Kerala man accused of helping steal 3.1 million Qatari riyals (nearly Rs 8 crore) from a welfare fund in Doha has surrendered to police, nearly a year after the robbery.
Parappil Balakrishnan, a Koyilandy resident, surrendered on Wednesday.
He claims he was misled about the purpose of the job that took him to Qatar.
The robbery took place on September 18, 2025, at the KMCC office in Al Thumama, Doha.
The stolen cash reportedly belonged to Snehanidhi, a welfare fund established to support Malayali expatriates in Qatar.
Balakrishnan is accused of being part of a four-member group flown from Kerala to Qatar to carry out the burglary. Police said two other people reportedly helped the group arrange accommodation and plan the operation.
SUSPECT CLAIMS HE WAS MISLED ABOUT THE JOB
Balakrishnan claimed he was deceived into participating in the operation without knowing that the target was the KMCC office.
As per Mathrubhumi, Balakrishnan said he was a welder who regularly undertook jobs involving gas cutters in his hometown. He claimed that a man identified as Shaji, also referred to as Bombay Shaji, had offered him a job in the Gulf.
Balakrishnan said he agreed to travel because he wanted to visit the Gulf and was told that his ticket and visa would be arranged. He claimed he was told that an Arab's locker needed to be opened because its key had been lost.
“I did not know it was the KMCC office,” he said in the video, quoted Mathrubhumi.
He further claimed that he was brought to Qatar specifically to use a gas cutter to open the strong room and locker. According to his account, he did not know the purpose of the operation until the robbery was carried out.
CLAIMS HE RECEIVED RS 2 LAKH AFTER ROBBERY
Balakrishnan also described the payments he received for his role in opening the locker.
According to Mathrubhumi, he claimed he had been promised more than Rs 10 lakh if the group managed to obtain the money. However, he said he received Rs 50,000 in Qatar and another Rs 1.5 lakh after returning to Kerala.
He identified a man named Saibaba, alias Bava, as the person who handed over the money. Balakrishnan claimed that Bava worked in fishing at Thikkodi beach.
He also said that the other members of the group left with the stolen cash after the locker was opened. These claims have not been independently established and are subject to police investigation.
GANG USED GAS CUTTER TO BREAK OPEN STRONG ROOM
According to police, four people were flown from Kerala to Qatar specifically to carry out the robbery, while two others helped them arrange accommodation and plan the operation.
The gang reportedly tied up a room boy at the KMCC office before breaking open the strong room using a gas cutter and escaping with the cash. Balakrishnan returned to Kerala after the incident.
The other accused have been identified as Shaji, Asainar, Rashi Payyoli, Rottana Rasak, Salih alias Bava, Kakachi Kamaru and Nisar. Police are questioning Balakrishnan and searching for the remaining accused, some of whom are reportedly abroad.
COMPLAINT FILED NEARLY A YEAR AFTER BURGLARY
Police said no investigation was initiated immediately after the burglary because no complaint had been filed at the time.
Qatar KMCC vice-president P K Abdul Rahim approached the Koyilandy police on September 15, 2026, following criticism of the organisation and the Indian Union Muslim League (IUML). A case was subsequently registered and an investigation launched.
KMCC is a cultural and social welfare organisation associated with the IUML, a key partner in Kerala's Congress-led United Democratic Front (UDF).
BJP SEEKS PROBE INTO KMCC LEADERSHIP
The BJP's local leadership has demanded a comprehensive investigation by a central agency, as Balakrishnan had contested the Koyilandy local body elections as the party's candidate last year.
According to Onmanorama, BJP North District President Praful Krishnan said the investigation should examine the possible involvement of senior KMCC leaders and others associated with the organisation.
Krishnan maintained that Balakrishnan had not informed anyone in the BJP about the robbery and said the party's local leadership was unaware of the case when he was selected as a candidate.
He also questioned whether Balakrishnan could have carried out a robbery of such a scale on his own, suggesting that the accused might have been used as a pawn.
Krishnan described the KMCC leadership's silence and its failure to file an immediate complaint as suspicious, and called for all those suspected of involvement, including KMCC workers, to be detained.
Police have also said they are examining whether people associated with KMCC were involved in the burglary.
The roles of the accused and the claims made in Balakrishnan's video remain under investigation.
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