Mastermind of Muthoot heist surrenders in court

T. Venkateswaran alias Venkatesan (27), the mastermind behind the Muthoot heist, surrendered before a judicial magistrate court in Salem on Friday. Tirupur police will initate steps to get him in their custody for questioning, according to police sources here.

Venkateswaran is now in a prison in Salem under judicial custody, police said.

A senior police officer told

The Hindu that police custody would be sought once the identification parade of the eight accused arrested in connection with the robbery of 1,381 sovereign jewellery and Rs 2.5 lakh in cash from the Muthoot Mini Financiers (P) Limited branch situated along Tirupur-Kangeyam road, was completed.

Initially, the police arrested six persons on Tuesday last in connection with the heist that occurred on September 24 and recovered the entire stolen jewellery from them.

Subsequently, the seventh person, R. Kaliappan (27), was nabbed on Wednesday before the surrender of Venkateswaran.

Venkateswaran, in fact, gave a slip to the investigating officers even though the police managed to stop his car while he was moving in Erode district.

He escaped from the spot and subsequent tracing of his mobile number found that he was roaming near Chennai, police sources said.

The questioning of Venkateswaran, according to police officials, could possibly throw light into the motive behind the loot and their strategies of selling the jewellery.

“Even their subsequent plans, if any, could get revealed,” officials said.

Police officials also hinted that the suspected role of a woman employee from another branch of the company in the heist would be further investigated even though she was let off after the preliminary interrogation.