The personnel from the Avadi Police Commissionerate apprehended an accused who allegedly stole from young couples alone on roads and beaches by posing as a policeman. He allegedly committed the offence at 45 places, the police said.
The police said around 8 p.m. last Friday, a couple in their car were approached by an unidentified person on a bike on 400-Feet Bypass Service Road in the Nazarathpet police station limits. He claimed to be a police constable and told them that an inspector was observing them on CCTV, and confiscated the couple’s cellphone under the guise of an inquiry. The accused then took the man with him on his bike and dropped him off a kilometre away from the car, before returning and robbing the woman of four sovereigns of gold jewellery.
On a complaint from the woman, a case was registered. On the next day, a similar offence was reported in the Vellavedu police station limits, where six sovereigns of gold jewellery were stolen from another woman.
On the instruction of Avadi Police Commissioner Sandeep Rai Rathore, a special team headed by the Assistant Commissioner of Police, Poonamallee Range, S. Muthuvelpandi was formed to nab the accused. CCTV camera footage was analysed, and a field inquiry revealed the identity of the suspect as C. Sivaraman, 40, of Cuddalore.
Mr. Rathore said, “Anticipating that Sivaraman will act again, we deployed three special decoy teams to pose as young couples in the area.”
Around 8 p.m. on Monday, Sivaraman approached one of the decoy teams on 400 Feet Bypass Service Road, near the toll gate, with his usual modus operandi. They tried to detain him, but he threatened them with a knife and fled on his bike. Another special team waiting near Poonamallee Bypass Road gave chase and apprehended him at the Madurvoyal toll gate.
Interrogation revealed that he was involved in about 45 robbery cases in Cuddalore, Chengalpattu and Villupuram districts and the Tambaram Police Commissionerate. However, no complaints had been lodged. Mr. Rathore said, “Persons who were cheated or targeted him should come forward and lodge a complaint. There are are several avenues available to lodge their complaints and quickly redress their grievances.”
