Coimbatore police nab duo, recover Rs 1.33 crore gold loot within 48 hours

On Sunday morning, a neighbour noticed that the workshop's lock had been forcibly broken and immediately alerted Krishnan.

Four special teams were formed, and footage from CCTV cameras installed inside the workshop and along the surrounding streets was analysed. (Express Illustration)

COIMBATORE: In a swift breakthrough, Coimbatore City Police on Monday arrested two men involved in the daring theft of more than one kilogram of gold ornaments from a jewellery workshop in the heart of the city. The entire consignment, valued at Rs 1.33 crore, has been recovered in full.

The theft occurred late Saturday night at the workshop owned by Navaneetha Krishnan of Vadavalli, located on Saami Iyer Street in the city. Krishnan, who specialises in crafting customised gold ornaments for various jewellery retailers, had closed his workshop after business hours as usual.

On Sunday morning, a neighbour noticed that the workshop's lock had been forcibly broken and immediately alerted Krishnan. When he rushed to the spot, he found that a wooden box containing 1 kg and 15 grams of finished gold jewellery was missing.

Police teams from the Variety Hall Road station, along with officers led by South Zone Deputy Commissioner of Police, Karthikeyan, conducted an intensive investigation. Four special teams were formed, and footage from CCTV cameras installed inside the workshop and along the surrounding streets was analysed.

The visuals revealed two suspects carrying away the wooden box. Further inquiry identified them as Murugan (45) of Kanuvai and Chinnathurai (32), originally from Thoothukudi and currently residing in Mylkal. Acting on the clues, police arrested both men early on Monday in Coimbatore.

According to the DyCP, the duo arrived at the area around 2.30 a.m. on Sunday. After unsuccessfully attempting to break into the workshop first, they locked two adjacent houses from the outside to prevent residents from noticing any suspicious activity. They then forced open Krishnan's workshop and escaped with the jewellery box.

The police said Murugan had previously served jail time for a gold theft case in RS Puram, while Chinnathurai has three prior theft cases in Thoothukudi. The entire stolen jewellery has been recovered.
Police praised the coordinated effort of all teams involved and assured continued vigilance in theft-prone zones.