COIMBATORE: In a further breakthrough, two more cops, a sub-inspector and a constable who were part of a gang, who allegedly waylaid and robbed four men of Rs 3.9 crore, were arrested by the rural police in the wee hours on Thursday. Acting on a tip off that sub-inspector Saravanan and constable Dharmendran were moving the court for anticipatory bail; a special police team nabbed them in the wee hours.
Investigating officials also suspect an inspector from the Coimbatore city police to have ganged up with them in the illegal operations. “It was this city cop, who had arranged for their stay here and also had links with other members of the robbery gang,” said a cop. Tainted inspector Muthukumar, attached to the Paramathi station in Karur district, who executed the daring robbery with other members was arrested on Tuesday. Police officials privy to the investigation said that the inspector refused to open up on the whereabouts of the money looted by them.
On August 25, six persons including three cops waylaid a Kerala-bound car on the Neelambur Bypass Road and stole away Rs 3.9 crore, which was being taken to Kerala from Chennai by four employees of Anwar Sathar, a gold trader. They also drove away the car, which was later found abandoned in Palakkad district.
In his complaint, N Anand, the car driver did not mention about the money stolen. Police, who were initially clueless, made a breakthrough by tracing the calls made by the culprits from the spot of crime. Police first tracked down Subash, 42, Sudhir, 33 and Sabiq, 28, all hailing from Kerala, who spilled the beans on the involvement of cops in the robbery. The three men were working as agents for ‘kodali’ Sreedharan, an alleged notorious gangster from Kerala, informing him on the carriers of ‘hawala’ money.
Inspector Muthukumar got acquainted with Sreedharan once when he had earlier arrested him for involving in ‘hawala’ operations few years ago. Since then the cop allegedly maintained close links with the gangster and executed several such robberies targeting ‘hawala’ carriers. The three cops, who were part of a special team to crack down a kidnap case, had come down to Coimbatore under the guise of investigation and executed the robbery. They were all were placed under suspension by Tiruchy range DIG Mr. Arun. While a search is on to nab the alleged gangster kodali Sreedharan and his son Arun Sreedharan, police are also probing to seize the ‘hawala’ money from the cops.
