A 32-year-old man, Sajimon, who works as an electrician in Dubai, found himself trapped in a nightmare scenario when he was lured into a gold smuggling operation that turned into a four-month ordeal of confinement and torture. Sajimon was initially contacted by an agent in Dubai, Mohammad Malick, who requested him to carry gold worth ₹2 crore and deliver it to someone outside the Chennai airport. Malick, after taking Sajimon to a secluded location before his flight, filmed a video showing gold allegedly planted on Sajimon’s body and sent it to Imran, the owner of New Green Galaxy Lodge in Chennai.
However, upon landing in Chennai, Sajimon stepped out of the airport empty-handed, claiming that he panicked and left the gold in an airport washroom. His handlers, unconvinced, took him to the lodge and imprisoned him. Sajimon, held captive in a first-floor room at the hotel, was subjected to constant surveillance, forced to perform menial tasks, and even physically assaulted when he attempted to escape.
Desperate for freedom, Sajimon devised a plan. He knew that some specific rooms in the lodge were allocated to police personnel visiting Chennai for court duties and meetings. He stole blank papers and a pencil and scribbled a desperate six-word SOS: “HELP. CALL MY WIFE @ 99XXX00XXX”. He strategically placed the message under the pillows of these rooms, hoping someone would notice it. His hope was finally realized when a hotel guest found the note and contacted Sajimon’s wife. Until that call, his wife had no idea of his plight, believing he was still working in Dubai.
On her complaint, the Triplicane police arrested five suspects: lodge owner Imran, his friends Asif Payas, Mohammad Aalam Affan, Gopi Kannan, and lodge room service staff member Varundharadas. Sajimon, rescued by the police, displayed telltale signs of torture – burn injuries on his palms, bruises under his eyes, and wounds across his body. He is currently receiving treatment in a city hospital for his physical injuries and the trauma he endured.
While Sajimon’s ordeal has ended, the fate of the smuggled gold remains a mystery, adding another layer of intrigue to this harrowing tale of captivity and escape.
