124 case properties stolen from Ernakulam court, Rado watch among missing items
Synopsis
A decade's worth of criminal case evidence — 124 items, including a Rado wristwatch — has vanished from a Kochi district court, exposing a glaring security failure in one of Kerala's busiest judicial districts. With properties spanning cases from 2016 to 2026, investigators must now unravel whether this was a one-time heist or a slow, systematic pilfering from under the judiciary's nose.
Key Takeaways
124 case properties have gone missing from the Judicial First Class Magistrate Court-II in Ernakulam, Kerala .
A Rado wristwatch is among the items reported stolen; full inventory and value are yet to be disclosed.
The missing articles relate to criminal cases handled between 2016 and 2026 .
A case was registered after a complaint by the Junior Superintendent of the court.
Police are probing whether the theft occurred in one instance or over multiple incidents spanning several years.
The disappearance could complicate ongoing and pending trials that require these items as evidence.
In a serious security lapse, 124 articles kept as case properties have gone missing from the Judicial First Class Magistrate Court-II in Ernakulam, Kerala, with a Rado wristwatch among the items reported stolen. The theft came to light after a complaint was lodged by the Junior Superintendent of the court, prompting the police to register a case and launch a formal investigation.
What Went Missing
The 124 missing articles are case properties — items seized by police during criminal investigations and produced before the court as evidence. These properties were under the custody of the Judicial First Class Magistrate Court-II and relate to cases registered and handled between 2016 and 2026. Beyond the Rado wristwatch, the exact nature and value of all the missing items are yet to be fully disclosed, according to reports.
The Investigation So Far
Police have registered a case following the complaint and are now examining court records to trace the circumstances under which the articles disappeared. Investigators face a key challenge: establishing whether the theft occurred in a single instance or over an extended period spanning several years. The timeline of disappearance — given that the properties span a ten-year window from 2016 to 2026 — makes pinpointing when and how the items were removed particularly complex.
Why This Is Significant
Case properties serve a critical function in the Indian criminal justice system. They are required by law to be preserved until the completion of legal proceedings and disposed of strictly in accordance with court orders. Their disappearance could directly impede ongoing or pending trials at the Ernakulam district court, as courts may require these articles for examination or production as evidence. Notably, this incident raises broader questions about the adequacy of security arrangements and the custodial accountability protocols in court premises across the country.
What Happens Next
Investigators are expected to scrutinise entry and exit records of the court premises, interview court staff, and review custodial logs for the affected properties. The incident has drawn attention to systemic vulnerabilities in the storage and monitoring of material evidence within judicial facilities. Further details, including a comprehensive inventory of all missing articles and a clearer timeline of the theft, are awaited as the probe progresses.
Point of View
Not a single act of opportunism. Courts across India routinely lack dedicated, secure evidence storage, and periodic reconciliation of case properties is inconsistently enforced. If investigators establish that items were removed gradually over years, it will demand a national conversation about whether the judiciary's administrative infrastructure has kept pace with the volume of cases it handles.
NationPress
2 Nov 2026
Frequently Asked Questions
What happened at the Ernakulam district court?
124 articles kept as case properties went missing from the Judicial First Class Magistrate Court-II in Ernakulam, Kerala. The theft was discovered after the articles could not be located in the court's custody, and a complaint was filed by the court's Junior Superintendent.
What are case properties and why do they matter?
Case properties are items seized by police during criminal investigations and submitted to courts as evidence. They must be preserved until legal proceedings conclude and can be crucial in establishing facts during a trial — their disappearance can directly jeopardise court proceedings.
Which items were reported stolen from the Ernakulam court?
A total of 124 articles were reported missing, with a Rado wristwatch among the identified items. The full inventory, along with the total value of the missing articles, has not yet been disclosed by authorities.
How long does the theft span?
The missing properties relate to criminal cases registered and handled between 2016 and 2026, a period of approximately ten years. Investigators are yet to determine whether the theft took place in a single incident or over multiple occasions during this period.
What is the police doing about the Ernakulam court theft?
Police have registered a formal case based on the complaint and have launched an investigation. Investigators are examining court records, custodial logs, and the circumstances under which the articles were stored, with the immediate aim of establishing when and how the items were removed.
