Chennai: Six arrested for Rs 60 lakh highway heist

On September 9, two of Jain's employees - Meivannan and Pichandi - were ferrying Rs 1.8 crore cash from Gudiyatham to Chennai to buy gold when the heist took place. The staff members were carrying the cash in three bags (Rs 60 lakh in each bag) - two in the trunk and one on the backseat. Around 11 am when the car was approaching Thamal near Baluchettichatram, two others cars intercepted it.

"All members of the gang had their faces covered with handkerchiefs and were carrying weapons. One of them broke the left window with a rock, which is when the two staff members fled the vehicle along with driver Baskar," an investigating officer said.

The gang which escaped with the car abandoned it a few kilometers away and took the cash bag from the rear seat, leaving the other two in the trunk intact. Special teams, which were tracking the suspects, learnt that the gang was camping in Chennai. "They were picked up on Sunday when they were planning to share the booty at their hideout on Purasawalkam high road," police said.

Six of them - D.Vinayakamurthy (43) of Gudiyatham, P.Munusamy (28) of Mangalapuram, S. Sunil Kumar (26) of Anna Nagar, S.Pachaiyappan (32) of Shenoy Nagar and S. Pandian (22) of Tiruvottiyur - were arrested and brought to Sivakanchi police station.

Investigations revealed that driver Vinayakamurthy who was working for Ashok Kumar Jain had borrowed money from him. "He along with his associate Munusamy plotted to rob Ashok Kumar to repay the loan," a police officer said. The accused have reportedly told the cops that they chose to rob the jeweler as he had unaccounted currency and they assumed he wouldn't approach the cops for help. The six were produced before a magistrate and remanded in custody on Monday and the hunt is on for one more person, police said.