Key member of car loot gang held from Tamil Nadu

Kochi: A key member of a gang which indulges in stealing valuables from inside cars after diverting attention of owners has been arrested by a special team of Kochi City Police.

The accused was identified as Balaraj Muniswami (55), a native of Gandhinagar, Thrissinapilly, Tamil Nadu. He was arrested by the Central Police while probing a theft complaint lodged by an Ernakulam native.

According to cops, the incident happened at 3.45 pm on March 3 last when the victim was about to start his car parked before Dhanalakshmi Bank at Shanmugham Road.

“One of the gang members dropped a '10 note near the car door and ‘alerted’ the driver about it. When he opened the door to pick up the note, the other members looted a suitcase from the back seat. Since the front door was open, the central locking system was not working. The suitcase contained '2.4 lakh, cheque books, keys, aadhar cards and other documents. The gang members fled even as the victim realized what had happened,” said K Laljy, Assistant Commissioner.

What helped the cops in cracking the case is the alert given by a KSRTC bus conductor. He gang members boarded the bus from Thrissur to Coimbatore and soon a difference of opinion cropped among them over sharing of looted money.

The conductor noticed them fighting and the gang left the suitcase behind one of the seats upon de-boarding at Kottamaithanam in Palakkad. He inspected the suitcase and found several documents and informed cops.

“The owner had by then lodged a complaint with us and found the cash and a title deed missing. The cops showed pictures of criminals earlier arrested for similar type of offense and the conductor recognized Balaraj, who was arrested by Thiruvananthapuram Cantonment Police in 2010.

“We had held him from his house at Gandhi Nagar. He was the leader of the four-member gang. The three others are absconding and will be arrested soon. Upon probe, we found many from the village indulge in similar theft activities after travelling to main cities here,” the officer said.