Three youth, believed to have been involved in a series of burglaries, including a bid to break into an ATM machine in Peelamedu, were arrested on Sunday.
According to police, Dileepan and Prashanth, both 21 years old, were studying in a polytechnic in Coimbatore, while Jayaprakash, 19, was a first-year statistics student in Peelamedu. On Thursday, the trio, who were on a bike, was stopped by police at a check-post in Singanallur. During the search, police found knives, masks, gloves, a sawing machine and other items in a backpack that the three were carrying. This aroused the suspicion of the police who took them into custody for questioning. During interrogation, the three accused reportedly confessed to their involvement in six chain-snatching cases, burglaries as well as attempts to rob a bank on Avinashi Road and an ATM machine in Peelamedu.
Police managed to secure around 33 sovereigns of gold as well as computer equipment from the three who were staying in Singanallur. Peelamedu Inspector (crimes) Suresh said that a special police team had been on the lookout for the accused for the last three months and that the gang had been operating for little less than a year.
Speaking to ‘Express’, a teacher of Jayaprakash said that the 19-year old was “a silent kid” and “a very good student who kept mostly to himself.”