The city police have arrested six persons from Kerala, including a former employee of a gold ornaments manufacturing unit, in connection with the 4.5 kg gold heist, which occurred in Madurai on January 9.
However, the police is yet to recover 500 gm of the stolen gold that the culprits are suspected to have sold. The arrested members are Johnson, 42, Olarikkara, Vijeesh, 27, Chavakkad, Ribin, 23,Manathala, Pristo, 22, Nellayi, Sarath, 21, Thykad, and Bibeesh, 18, Chavakkad. Two of the accused, Sajeevan and Vishnu, are yet to be apprehended. It is said that Johnson was the kingpin of the gang. Special team officials said that Johnson was a former employee of Ajay gold ornaments manufacturing unit located in Thrissur.
The special team recovered 4 kg gold ornaments and seized the car used for the robbery into custody.
C0P Sanjay Mathur had formed nine special teams to crack the daring attack on gold traders. The special team officials led by Deputy Commissioners K Feroz Khan Abdulla and R Thirunavukkarasu nabbed the gang, produced them in a Kerala court, which remanded and sent them to Viyyur Central Jail located in Thrissur. Police sources said that the case would be transferred to Madurai and the accused brought to Madurai for further investigation.
Johnson, the main accused, was expelled from Ajay gold ornaments unit, as he was not obedient.
After the expulsion, Johnson was watching the activites of the company and hatched a conspiracy to loot gold ornaments. He lured some like minded persons to execute the plan, police added. A day ahead of the incident, Johnson sent a five-member gang to Madurai to rob the gold from Ajay gold company employees. He camped in Thrissur and informed the robbery team about the movement of the two employees by bus from Thrissur to Madurai.
To ensure the success of his plan, Johnson also sent Bibeesh, one of his gang members in the omni bus in which the victims Joby Raphael and Vinodkumar were travelling to Madurai. He knew that the ornaments were meant for delivery to a gold jewellery showroom in Madurai.