When 32-year old traffic constable J. Krishnan was regulating traffic in Kothavalchavadi on Saturday evening, little did he know that he would soon nab a waylayer and save an invitation cards company the sum of Rs. 2 lakh.
At around 6.15 p.m., Krishnan was regulating traffic on Anderson-Annapillai Street, when he heard a huge commotion. “People were shouting and when I went and had a look, a man holding a knife in one hand and a bag in the other, started running towards me,” he said.
Krishnan managed to catch the man, but the man wriggled out of his hold and began running again. “I chased and caught up with him. With my left hand, I bent his arm, and held his own knife against his throat. He bit my other hand and tried to escape again. But I held on to him. Upon searching him, I found chilli powder in pocket and a large sum of money in the bag,” Krishnan said.
By then, Esplanade police officers had arrived, and they took in the man, who said his name was Shantakumar. Police said that Kumar confessed to waylaying the employee of a well-known invitation cards company, and robbing him of the weekly wages he was carrying.
“The plot was originally hatched by an employee of the company, Thirunavukarasu, who worked at the company’s godown. Every Saturday, Kumar, another worker, brought the godown employees their wages. Thirunavukarasu told his friends Hemant, Ravi and Shantakumar about this, and the four of them planned to rob Kumar and share the loot,” said K.N. Murali, assistant commissioner of police, Madras High Court. “Thanks to Krishnan’s timely action, we managed to nab Shantakumar and find out about the robbery,” Murali added.
On Saturday, the four men waited at the Annapillai-Anderson street junction. When they spotted Kumar walking towards them, they snatched the bag of money from him at knifepoint. “However, some passers-by saw the knife and began shouting for help. This is what attracted Krishnan’s attention,” said Murali.
Esplanade police then combed the locality and arrested Thirunavukarasu, Hemant and Ravi. All four were remanded to custody.
“I’m very glad I managed to nab a thief,” said Krishnan.
