The Madurai City police have arrested three persons, including a woman lawyer, in connection with a series of chain-snatching incidents reported during the COVID-19 lockdown.
The police said that the lawyer, K. Kottai Eswari, and her husband, S. Stephen Varghese, a TNSTC (Tamil Nadu State Transport Corporation) conductor, were receivers of gold chains from the robbery accused Othakannu alias N. Pandiarajan (35) of Thanakkankulam.
“We have arrested the couple for harbouring the accused,” said Deputy Commissioner of Police (Crime), K. Palanikumar. Addressing the media, he said that the police have solved 25 crime cases of chain snatching and mobile phone snatching – 17 cases reported in the city and eight in Madurai rural district. The police have recovered 10 mobile phones, 15 sovereigns of gold, two motorbikes and some weapons from them.
“After we zeroed in on Pandiarajan, we had been tracking him through his mobile number signal. Initially, we were confused as the signal showed his location at the advocate’s house,” he added. As the police knocked at the lawyer’s house, the accused escaped from there, he added.
The police said that the cases were reported between May and August. The police are on the lookout for the kingpin of the gang, ‘Tools’ Pandi.
Besides, the trio arrested by the city police, three others were arrested by the Madurai rural police.
While Pandiarajan was involved in 34 cases, his associate Abbas was involved in 17 cases. “The accused would target people who were on a morning walk, going to the ATM or buying milk. They used a knife and machete to inflict cut injuries to threaten the victims,” he added. The city police has increased patrols in the city between 4 a.m. and 7 a.m. and 5 p.m. and 9 p.m. to prevent such crimes.
Deputy Commissioner of Police (Law and Order), R. Shiva Prasad, said that the city police were keeping vigil against smuggling and the sale of banned tobacco and narcotics drugs.