The Hindu : Tamil Nadu / Chennai News : Suspect held, hunt on for others

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Friday, Jul 30, 2004

Tamil Nadu

Tamil Nadu - Chennai

Suspect held, hunt on for others

By Our Staff Reporter

CHENNAI, JULY 29. The city police today arrested a 38-year-old man over the robberies that took place in Rajamangalam and Tirumangalam more than a week ago.

Addressing a press conference, Deputy Commissioner of Police (Anna Nagar), A. Arun, said Uyyala Rangaiah, a native of Ongole in Andhra Pradesh, was arrested at Retteri junction this afternoon following a tip-off. ``He is one of a seven-member gang which committed robberies in both places. We are on the look out for his partners, including the gang leader,'' said Mr. Arun.

According to him, the seven belong to a community settled in the Guntur and Prakasham districts of Andhra Pradesh known for their criminal antecedents. ``Committing crime is like a family business for them.''

According to police records, the gang's modus operandi is to target isolated houses in the outskirts from where it is convenient to escape. Once the area is fixed, the gang visits the locality on the pretext of selling merchandise and get acquainted with the women folk. Through them, the gang members apparently ascertain the number of inmates in the house and assess their wealth. Later, they enter the house through rear doors by levering them open with iron rods or wrenching the window bars.

Evading police net

``The leader of the gang has been evading police for the last six years,'' said Mr. Arun. ``The accused is a degree holder and is quite polished. During one of the robberies in the city, he even got acquainted with the inmate by asking her where she was working.''

A special team, consisting of 17-Telugu speaking policemen, has been constituted to nab the accused. "We also have a database of 333 photographs of various accused belonging to the community including that of the gang members, which we obtained from the Andhra Pradesh police."

In the Rajamangalam and Tirumangalam robberies on July 20 and 21, more than 60 sovereigns of gold jewellery and Rs. 70,000 in cash were stolen after the intruders threatened the inmates at knifepoint.

Crackdown

A wave of crime incidents in the city and suburbs has forced the city police to crackdown against perceived anti-social elements, which ended in 50 men being taken into preventive custody under the Goondas Act.

Among those imprisoned for one year are `China' Rajendran, Saravanan, Raja, Sahayaraj and Prince involved in several chain snatching cases. The men used to target women travelling alone, snatch their chains before fleeing on a motorcycle.

Also arrested were 17 men who indulged in rowdyism, attempt to murder and extortion. Six men wanted in motorcycle theft cases were also booked under the Act, said a police press release here. Six others wanted in burglary cases have also been detained.

The Washermanpet district police arrested and detained under Goondas Act six men — Tirupati, Boopathy, Raja, Ayyappan, Durgavel and Rajan — who were allegedly involved in the murder of a fisherman at Kasimedu two weeks ago.

Teams sent

The Joint Commissioner (North Zone), C. Sylendra Babu, said police teams from Tamil Nadu were camping in neighbouring States to nab culprits wanted in several crimes. He told this at a press conference where cash of about Rs. 19 lakhs stolen from a jeweller's shop at Sowcarpet was displayed. Mani, an employee in the shop, was arrested.

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