A special team of the Government Railway Police (GRP) on Wednesday arrested a three-member North Indian gang at Villupuram on charge of robbing gold chains from several rail passengers.
The team recovered stolen gold jewellery weighing around eight-and-a-half sovereigns from the gang leader R. Rakesh alias Ashok (28). The other two arrested accused were J. Mangal Kumar (24) and G. Kaluram (45). The three hail from Uttar Pradesh. Following repeated instances of chain snatchings from passengers sleeping near windows on board different trains while passing through Government railway police Tiruchi district limits in the last one year, a special team was constituted to apprehend the culprits involved in such offences.
It came to light that the offences were committed by north Indians travelling in reserved compartments, a GRP release here said. The special team which kept a strict vigil and apprehended the gang at Villupuram on Wednesday.
During interrogation, the accused confessed that Rakesh was the leader of a nine-member gang which was involved in such offences, the release said and added that the remaining six members were reported to be absconding with the stolen jewellery. The gang had committed the offences in Vriddhachalam, Rameswaram, Dindigul, Chidambaram, Thanjavur, Tiruchi, Mayiladuthurai, Villupuram, Nagercoil, and Kumbakonam railway police limits. The gang confessed that they had robbed 120 sovereigns of gold jewellery. A police team has gone to Uttar Pradesh, the release added.
