DHARMAPURI: A 50-year-old man who had eluded the police for 19 years was arrested by the Karimangalam police in Mayiladuthurai on Friday.
According to the police, A Muthulingam (50), a native of Mayiladuthurai, was part of a gang responsible for a series of Panchaloha idol thefts from Amman temples in Palacode and Karimangalam since 1994.
In 2004, eight people were arrested, and over the course of investigation four people died and four others, including Muthulingam, were released on bail several years later. After jumping bail, he went abroad and his whereabouts remained unknown.
A week back, Karimangalam police received information that Muthulingam had returned home to celebrate Pongal with his family. SI Ananthkumar apprehended Muthulingam from Manalmedu in Mayiladuthurai. Police said he had left the country by using a passport that was applied prior to his arrest, and worked in Singapore, Dubai, and various other places.