Thrissur/Namakkal, Sep 27 (PTI) Hours after a brazen heist in Kerala’s Thrissur district, where a gang made off with approximately Rs 70 lakh from three SBI ATMs, Tamil Nadu police engaged in a dramatic chase that ended with the gunning down of one suspect and the detention of six others.
The incident unfolded on Friday as the gang of men from Haryana attempted to escape in their container truck, ramming into several cars and two-wheelers at Kumarapalayam in Namakkal district of Tamil Nadu.
Adding more intrigue to the brazen act, the gang had loaded the car used in the Kerala heist into a container after the robbery, in a bid to mislead the police investigating the case.
The car used in the robbery was confiscated along with the container truck, according to Salem Range DIG E S Uma.
One of the suspects was killed and another injured when police opened fire in self-defence. Two police officials were also injured when the container driver and his associate attacked them in a bid to flee, and they have been admitted to a government hospital for treatment, she said.
“They targeted the ATM of a nationalised bank (in Thrissur). As per their modus operandi, the members split into two groups and travelled separately in a container and a car from Haryana to stage the heist,” the DIG told reporters at Namakkal.
All the members hailed from Haryana, she said, and added the Namakkal district police arrested two persons from Haryana in a similar heist in the district recently.
Following information from the Thrissur police, the Namakkal Superintendent of Police, S Rajesh Kannan, and other officials organised a vehicle check to identify the car used in the heist.
“Shortly thereafter the Thrissur police alerted us about the movement of a container truck. During the vehicle check, the police signalled a container truck bearing RJ (Rajasthan) registration number to stop, but the vehicle went without stopping,” she said.
Upon being chased by the police, it sped towards the Sanghugiri toll gate but finding it closed, took the Veppadai road to escape. At Sannasiapatti, it rammed into a two wheeler and a car, and dragged a car for about 250 meters, before it was finally intercepted by the police.
“We secured the truck driver and four others found in the cabin. While escorting the vehicle to Veppadai police station, we asked the driver to stop after hearing a loud sound at the rear of the container. The driver identified as Jamal opened the door and two persons stepped out of the container,” the DIG said.
One of them, carrying a blue coloured travel bag containing cash, asked Jamal to escape and tried to run after attacking a police Inspector with a sharp weapon. Jamal too attacked the police official when the latter attempted to nab him.
The police had to open fire on the duo in order to prevent them from escaping. While Jamal died, the man with the money bag was injured in the leg, she said.
“We have secured all five persons and the injured man who has been admitted to a government hospital,” Uma said.
Responding to a question, she said that the police were totally unaware of the presence of a car and two persons inside the container.
The road rage in Sannasiapatti, Kumarapalayam, left the road users in shock. Some of the passers-by pelted stones at the truck in a frantic bid to stop the vehicle.
Earlier in the wee hours of Friday, the gang targeted three ATMs in Kerala’s Thrissur district and looted around Rs 70 lakh.
The incident came to light when the police were alerted by the ATMs’ central control room.
The gang targeted the Mapranam, Thrissur East, and Kolazhy ATMs of the State Bank of India, police said.
“The incident happened between 2 am and 4 am. One ATM is in the rural police limit, while the other two are in the city police limit. They destroyed the CCTV cameras and used a gas cutter to cut open the ATM machine,” Thrissur City Police Commissioner R Elango told the media.
The police, having received some evidence related to the gang, subsequently began an investigation that extended into neighbouring Tamil Nadu.
According to the police, the gang first reached the ATM at Mapranam and looted around Rs 35 lakh from there. They then travelled to the city and targeted the SBI ATM on Shornur Road, taking around Rs 9.5 lakh. The last ATM they hit was the Kolazhy branch of SBI, from which they looted around Rs 25 lakh, police said. PTI JSP RRT TGB SA
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