Madurai district police have arrested five persons from Ramanathapuram district in connection with a dacoity case reported near Melur on Monday, in which the gang hijacked a cement-laden truck and abducted its driver.
Following a complaint, Superintendent of Police Vijayendra S. Bidari formed a special team.
Led by Deputy Superintendent of Police (Melur) Mangaleswaran, the police team nabbed D. Veerapandi, S. Govindan, B. Raja, P. Rajesh and R. Sasikumar, all from different places of Ramanathapuram district.
The police recovered the truck, an SUV and a knife used by the gang during the crime.
Melur Inspector of Police M. Muthu said that the driver, Mohan, was taking 400 bags of cement from Dalmiapuram in Tiruchi district to a location in Tuticorin.
The gang intercepted the lorry near Thumbaipatti in Madurai district.
After assaulting the driver and threatening him at knife-point, they abducted him in a waiting SUV. Another person hijacked the truck with cement bags. Mohan was dropped at Kottaiyur in Ramanathapuram district.
CCTV footage
When contacted, Mr. Bidari said that the confessions of the accused suggested that the gang unloaded the cement bags in different goods vehicles and stored them in a godown in Ramanathapuram district.
“We got initial leads from the CCTV footage on a couple of stretches in the region. An SUV, which was proceeding ahead of the cement-laden truck, had a Paramakudi registration number. When the team zeroed in on the suspect, it ultimately led to solving of the crime,” he noted.
Veerapandi, the prime accused in the case, is said to be involved in several criminal cases in various parts of the State, including Chennai.
Appreciation
The Superintendent of Police appreciated the team for swiftly cracking the case as it posed a challenge to the police.
