TIRUVANNAMALAI: Almost three months after a gang robbed four ATMs of Tiruvannamalai district of Rs 72,79,000 in February, Tamil Nadu police nabbed mastermind Asif Javed from Haryana - Rajasthan border on Thursday. He was brought back to Tiruvannamalai, where he is currently lodged in police custody.
On February 12, four ATMs in the Kalasappakkam Polur area of the district were burgled for Rs 72 lakh. An investigation revealed that more than six people, all from other states, were involved in the heist. A special task force led by Tiruvannamalai District Superintendent of Police Karthikeyan, Rajesh Kannan from Vellore district, Balakrishnan from Tirupattur district, and Kiran Shruthi from Ranipet district was formed. Kolar in Karnataka was marked as the origin area of the crime. According to a press release from the Tiruvannamalai SP office, the police arrested eight accomplices and seized rupees five lahks in cash, three cars, and a container truck.
The main culprit, Javed (30), was caught because of the special forces led by police inspector Pugazh, who was stationed in Delhi and Haryana. The team nabbed Javed from a rundown building in the Aravalli hills within the limits of Thavuru police station on the border between Haryana and Rajasthan.
So far, nine criminals have been arrested in connection with the case, while Rs 20 lakh has been recovered. The police are on the lookout for the last suspect in the case. Meanwhile, Tamil Nadu's DGP C Sylendra Babu announced a reward of Rs 1 lakh in appreciation of the special team.