Kuwait: Unidentified gunmen shot dead two security guards from Kerala in Kuwait early on Saturday.
The deceased have been identified as Muhammed Rashid Jamalullai Thangal (25) and Sharngadharan (53), hailing from Malappuram and Kozhikode districts, respectively.
According to the information received here, the deceased were about to board their official vehicle with the money collected from Sulaibiya market when they were fatally shot at by three masked men in a robbery bid around 1am Indian time on Saturday (10.30pm, Friday, in Kuwait).
The deceased were employees of Bader Al Mulla security firm in Kuwait. Though their driver, too, was shot at, the bullet-proof vehicle saved his life. The assailants fled with a part of the money.
Bodies of the deceased, now kept at Farwaniya hospital in Kuwait, would be brought home after completing the formalities. Further details are awaited.
The suspects did not attempt to break into the armored van that reportedly contained as much as KD 200,000 in cash, according to reports from the scene. The driver was in the van during the incident, but was unharmed. Preliminary investigations indicate that the suspects fired 36 rounds from an AK-47 during the attack. A heavy security presence was reported at the scene following the crime. Sources also said that a car that was found ablaze on the Sixth Ring Road near Sulaibiya was discovered to be stolen and may have been the getaway car used by the assailants.
Meanwhile, Indian Ambassador Sunil Jain told Kuwait Times that the embassy is in touch with the Interior Ministry over the shocking incident. “We will do all what is required in coordination with the Kuwaiti authorities,” he said. Incidents of armed robberies and assaults have often been reported in Kuwait, although criminal acts involving armed gangs gunning down their victims for money are rare in the country.
