In one of the biggest stolen jewellery hauls in recent times, the Puducherry police arrested a chain snatcher who had been at large for over a year in the city, and recovered gold weighing 62.5 sovereigns worth about Rs. 20 lakh.
The accused has been taken into custody, the police said.
Announcing the arrest, Senior Superintendent of Police Omvir Singh said a special team supervised by Superintendent of Police (North) Gunasegaran PPS and headed by Inspector of Police Chinta Kodandaram studied the modus operandi of accused, Kumaravel alias Kumaran of Mylapore, Chennai. They noticed a particular TVS Star motorbike was used for the crime and was able to build on the case from CCTV footage from near the Ashram. A motorcycle and some household goods purchased with the money from the stolen gold were also recovered. Another 30 sovereign of gold was yet to be seized, added Mr. Singh.
“It is a first in the recent times in Puducherry that a case of stolen gold jewellery worth around Rs. 20 lakh has been cracked. We have already worked out 18 cases against the accused. It took around five months to crack this case. Many of the criminals operating here seem to be outsiders,” said Mr. Singh.
Mr. Gunasegaran confirmed that the accused is the son of a former DMK councillor and that Kumaravel worked as a videographer here. Kumaravel has been involved in eight cases of chain snatching and one case of robbery in Chennai, said the police. The accused disclosed he was staying in Pakkamudaiyanpet and has been operating here for around a year, added the police.
The special team which worked on the case would be recommended to the DGP for rewards, said Mr. Gunasegaran.
