Pursuing leads after arresting five persons in connection with a murder case, the police have busted a gang of dacoits and recovered from them four air guns, two sets of hand gloves, two sets of masks and other deadly weapons.
Special police teams, which were investigating the murder of one Vinothmani, whose body was found near a bridge at Peravur on East Coast Road on May 22, busted the gang of dacoits and ‘detained’ its chief K Saravanan (32) and his accomplices Palpandi and Udayakumar in an apartment at Manalur in Tirupuvanam.
Interrogation revealed that the gang members had committed as many as 12 dacoities, including the one at the house of a Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam leader at Vazhuthur near here about six months ago, and two murders — Vinothmani over a love affair, and one of the gang members Arun, who was aware of Vinothmani’s murder.
Police said the trio were hiding in the flat when the special police teams apprehended them for questioning on Saturday.
Police also seized three helmets, three knives, a sword, a car and a motorcycle from the house.
After exhausting the money, they targetted a new house and commit dacoity, police said adding Saravanan acted as the chief and others worked under him. The gang had murdered Vinothmani in May as Saravanan was interested in marrying his lover.
After police arrested five persons, engaged by Saravanan, in connection with the murder, the gang leader feared that Arun, his accomplice who was aware of the murder, would implicate him in the case and poisoned him to death on December 13 with the help of Palpandi and Udayakumar.