COIMBATORE: Coimbatore city police, in order to solve a case of armed robbery committed at a house in Seeranaickenpalayam, identified and questioned members of 13 known gangs, and quizzed over 300 ex-convicts over a three-week period, in order to gather clues and identify the suspects behind the incident.
Their persistence finally paid off after a 33-year-old history-sheeter, who had been absconding for the last 10 years from the police, was apprehended near Aruppukottai in Virudhunagar district on Thursday.
In the mid-June of 2015, a four-member gang, armed with knives and sickles, broke into the home of the owner of a travels company, and stole cash as well as valuables, after threatening the wife of the house owner.
On Thursday, police secured all the four gang members. They were identified as B Chandrasekhar, 26, S Lakshmanan, 24, and A Kattai Murugan, 33, all from Sivagangai district. The fourth member of the gang was arrested by a police team in Thoothukudi.
Police sources said, the arrest of Kattai Murugan was a “major catch” for the city police as he had numerous cases of robbery, thefts and home break-ins at Coimbatore Rural, Tirupur, Palladam and Tirunelveli, among other districts.
“He was one of the most wanted criminals,” said a top city police official to Express.
In order to crack the case, the City Police Commissioner, A K Viswanathan, had formed special teams, led by two Assistant Commissioners of police working directly under the deputy commissioner (crime), R V Ramya Bharathi, in order to crack the case.
Police officials have recovered four knives, two crowbars and a screwdriver from the suspects. They also expect to recover most, if not all, of the stolen property.