ERODE: A vehicle of a private logistics company that was carrying 810 kg gold bars, worth approximately `562 crore from Coimbatore to Salem overturned on the roadside near Chithode early on Tuesday. Police said the gold belonged to a private dealer and there was no illegality in it.
An officer in Erode district police said, “The van left Coimbatore for Salem on Monday mid-night carrying 810 kg of gold bars. It was driven by Sasikumar and Balraj was the gunman. Both are employees of the company. Around 2 am on Tuesday, when the van reached Samathuvapuram near Chithode on Kochi - Salem National Highway, the driver lost control and the van overturned on the left side of the road. Both Sasikumar and Balraj were injured.
Chithode police rescued the injured and sent them to Bhavani Government Hospital for treatment.
The officer added, “On investigation, it came to light that the van was loaded with gold bars. After that the vehicle was safely brought to Chithode police station. The gold belongs to a private dealer. Probably transported for jewel stores in Salem. But no illegality was found. So we allowed the gold to be transferred to another vehicle and taken to Salem by the logistics company.”
Erode SP G Jawahar said, “The logistics company often used to carry gold belonging to private dealers. Our investigation did not find any illegal stuff. The Commercial Tax Department also conducted an investigation. No complaints have been received in this regard.”