The Coimbatore City police have arrested a 10-member gang on charges of robbing a financier. The police have also recovered country weapons from them.
According to A.K. Viswanathan, Commissioner of Police, Coimbatore City, the gang lay in wait on Kamarajar Road, Singanallur, on Thursday, for the financier Muthuraja, who after locking his office, was proceeding home around 9 p.m.
He was carrying a bag that contained the collection amount Rs. 5 lakh.
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The members of the gang got down from a car, trailed Muthuraja, attempted to snatch his bag after surrounding and assaulting him. They had knives and long sword-like country knives with them, the police said. Muthuraja managed to flee with the bag into a place near his office. The gang, which managed to snatch his two-sovereign gold chain, chased him. Residents of the area who heard Muthuraja’s cries for help ran behind the gang. On sensing that the people were following, the gang members threatened them and managed to flee the spot.
Muthuraja then lodged a complaint with the Singanallur police, who registered a case. To nab the gang, the City police formed a team headed by Deputy Commissioners of Police T. Senthil Kumar and Pravesh Kumar.
The team, based on a tip-off that the members of the gang were seen moving near Vijayamangalam, the arrested Jothi alias Parthiban, 25, Surendra, 24, Soundar, 24, Praveen, 24, Muthu, 26, Raja Dileepan, 21, Rajeshkumar, 23, Rajkumar, 24, and Suresh, 24, on the Vijayamangalam-Uttukuli Road around 4 p.m.
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The police said that the accused hailed from Villupuram, Tindivanam, Sirkazhi, Dindigul, Tiruvallur and Madurai. They also recovered three sword-like knives, an iron rod, wooden logs and the stolen gold chain.
During the course of the interrogation, the gang told the police that they had planned to burgle a jewellery shop near Mettupalayam.