Chennai: Five held for posing as poll squad and looting cash

Chennai: The city police on Monday arrested a five-member gang that impersonated policemen and stole Rs 1.7 crore unaccounted cash from a vehicle in Saidapet on Sunday.

According to police, Udhaya Kumar, who works with a private company, lodged a complaint that on March 16 that he was carrying the cash in a car along with his employees from a financier at Vepery to Thandalam.

When the car neared the Saidapet bus stop, they were stopped by a car which bore the sticker ‘Flying Election Squad’.

A police source quoting from the complaint said a group of men got out, introduced themselves as the election squad to the occupants and searched their car. After finding the cash, the ‘policemen’ drove off with it.

Kumar and others went to the police and lodged a complaint. Based on this, the Saidapet police launched a search for the gang.

On Monday, the police nabbed the suspects from their hideout in the city. The accused were identified as Mugil (27) from Maduravoyal, Gajendran (31) from Poonamallee, Kodiarasan (30) from Sriperumbudur, Venugopal (27) from Iyyappanthangal and Siva (31) from Vyasarpadi.

The police seized Rs 5.12 lakh cash, a two-wheeler and a four-wheeler from the gang. They were remanded to judicial custody.