The Coimbatore city police have nabbed the main accused in the case of major theft from an outlet of Jos Alukkas Jewellery in the city, about two weeks ago. Gold jewellery weighing 4.8kg was stolen from the showroom.
A special team detained M. Vijay of Devareddiyur in Dharmapuri, in an operation in Chennai on Sunday night and brought him to Coimbatore on Monday morning.
According to police sources, Vijay was moving about in the attire of Lord Ayyappa devotee. He was found to be in possession of five sovereigns of gold ornaments and some silver articles at the time of arrest.
The accused, in the intervening night of November 27 and 28, had gained entry through a duct from the sidewall that led to the false ceiling of one of the floors and was believed to have exited the same way. He then went absconding.
About 3.2 kg of the stolen jewelry was recovered from his wife Narmatha a week back, and a little over 1.3 kg subsequently from her mother Yogarani. The mother-daughter duo was arrested.
