ERODE: The police arrested a gang of six people, including a 15-year-old boy, for stealing from a house along the Salem-Cochin National Highway in Kanjikovil near Perundurai in Erode a week ago.
The gang was traced by the police after one among them used a stolen mobile phone with a replacement SIM card.
The accused were identified as Selva (24), Ramesh (24), Sakthivel (29), Siranjeevi (37), M Kumar (26), and a 15-year-old boy, all from Thoraipakkam in Chennai.
The burglary happened at the house of Rajendran (60), a retired court staff, of Mullampatti area in Kanjikovil after Rajendran went to visit his son in Chennai with his family On April 10, police said.
"The next day the neighbours found the back door on the first floor of the house open and informed Rajendran. Upon returning, Rajendran found that Rs 26,000 in cash, three watches and a mobile phone had been stolen. He then filed a complaint at the Kanjikovil police."
"During the police probe the stolen mobile phone was found active. Through this, the police traced the gang of six people, including Selva. Police arrested them on Saturday," police added.
"The gang had travelled from Chennai to visit a private yoga centre in Coimbatore. On the way, they stopped the car at Mullampatti area on the Salem-Kochi National Highway and took rest. They saw Rajendran's house locked and climbed through the pipe at the back of the house, went to the first floor, and entered the house through the back door. The gang used that mobile phone with a replacement SIM card, which made it easy for us to catch them. There are already criminal cases against this gang in Chennai," a police officer said.