The city police will soon invoke the provisions of the Goondas Act against S. Islamuddin, key accused in the burglary of ₹30.5 lakh from two ATMs on Vilankurichi Road last December.
Islamuddin, a native of Punhana in Haryana, was arrested from Mansarovar near Jaipur in a joint operation of Rajasthan police and Coimbatore city police on February 1.
A member of the notorious Mewat racket, he had acted as a carrier to take around ₹27 lakh of the stolen money to Haryana.
“The other eight persons arrested in connection with the burglary in Namakkal and Salem on December 14 were detained under the provisions of Goondas Act in January. Islamuddin will also be detained under the Act soon,” a senior police official told The Hindu.
The accused is addicted to cough syrups, especially the ones that had codeine, a derivative of opium.
He also took treatment at two hospitals in Salem and Ernakulam when the gang camped in the two States.
“Islamuddin was infected with dengue when the gang camped in Coimbatore. He took treatment in a hospital in Salem. The police got his visuals from a surveillance camera at the hospital, which helped us identify him. He had also taken treatment in a private hospital on M.G. Road, Ernakulam, when they were in Kerala,” said the official, adding that Islamuddin cancelled a trip to Ooty due to weak health when the gang camped in Coimbatore.
Islamuddin, who is currently in judicial custody, had confessed to the police at the time of arrest that shares from the ₹27 lakh were handed over to the relatives of his eight accomplices who were arrested.
“We recovered some money from the accused. Though he has claimed that the rest of the money was given to relatives of the accused, it is to be confirmed,” the official said.
