Police bust M.P. gang that stole over 160 sovereigns of gold from parked buses in different districts

Thoothukudi district police have busted a gang from Madhya Pradesh that has targeted parked buses and stealthily looted around 160 sovereigns of gold in different districts in Tamil Nadu in July and August, with the arrest of one person.

The police have recovered some 50 sovereigns of gold from J. Makasud Khan (35) of Dhar District in Madhya Pradesh and solved two of the theft cases reported in Kayathar (Thoothukudi district) and Batlagundu (Dindigul district).

“Few more accused have absconded and further recovery in the other cases reported in Aravakurichi, Tirunelveli and Oddanchatram could be made only after arresting them,” said Thoothukudi Superintendent of Police, R. Shiva Prasad.

The SP said that the gang had come in a car in July and their only target was valuables left by passengers in luxury buses when they are halted at motels. By August end, they had successfully stolen over 160 sovereigns of gold in five places, he added.

A team of Thoothukudi district police, led by Kovilpatti Assistant Superintendent of Police, began an investigation after 40.8 sovereigns of gold were stolen from a bus parked at a hotel near NHAI toll gate in Kayathar on August 28.

“These accused wait at the motels and barge into the parked buses in the guise of passengers and lay their hands on bags with valuables. In this case at Kayathar, they had taken only one bag that had 40.8 sovereigns of gold. We suspect that they could have done some recce in identifying the only bag which needs to be investigated,” the SP said.

With the video footage of the CCTV installed in the bus, the police could identify the accused with the help of Madhya Pradesh police. Later, a team, led Inspector of Police, Vanamalamai, went to Dhar district there and secured him.

The gang has stolen 21 sovereigns from a bus in Oddanchathiram on July 31, 23.5 sovereigns in Aravakurichi on August 23, 79.5 sovereigns reported in Virudhunagar district on August 24 and 8.5 sovereigns in a bus at Batlagundu.