india

Updated: Oct 14, 2019 07:08 IST

The Trichy City Police on Sunday arrested the fourth accused in connection with the Lalitha Jewellery robbery that jolted the state on October 2. Trichy City police arrested the fourth accused at Madurai and recovered jewels worth Rs 2.30 crore.

According to the police, the accused C Ganesan (35) was caught after a tip-off by Murugan (45), the mastermind behind the Lalitha Jewellery heist.

“After Murugan who planned and executed the heist surrendered before a City Civil Court in Bengaluru on Friday, he confessed to the Karnataka police that he had buried the looted jewels near Cauvery River in Trichy. Bengaluru’s Bommanahalli Police accompanied by Trichy City Police on Saturday unearthed jewels worth Rs.4.25 crore from near the Cauvery River in Poosathurai village on the outskirts of Trichy. During the interrogation, Murugan further admitted he had given 6.1 kg of jewels to Ganesan,” Trichy city police said in a press statement.

Trichy police on Sunday visited Ganesan’s place in Vadipatti, Madurai.

“Ganesan possessed 6.1kg of the Lalitha Jewellery items worth to the tune of Rs 2.30 crore,” police said.

Within 24 hours of the heist, police on October 3 caught E Manikandan, a resident of Thiruvarur during a vehicle check in the temple town. Manikandan, who came on a two-wheeler with his friend Seerathoppu Suresh, had 4.25 kg of gold. “Police retrieved the gold and arrested Manikandan, but Suresh fled from the vehicle checking point,” police added.

As Suresh is a close relative of history-sheeter Murugan, police suspected that the latter may be the kingpin in the robbery.

“Police found 450 gram Lalitha jewellery jewels in Suresh’s house. As Suresh was not in the house, police held his mother P Kanagavalli (57) on October 4,” a police statement said.

After the police arrested Kanagavalli, her son Suresh surrendered before a lower court in Chengam, Thiruvannamalai on Thursday. Subsequently, Murugan surrendered before the City Civil Court in Bengaluru on Friday.

Lalitha Jewellery, a jewellery chain, with its showrooms in 15 South Indian towns, was in the news on October 3, as a duo wearing masks looted gold, diamond and platinum jewels worth Rs 13 crore from its Trichy Chathiram Bus Stand showroom.

As of now, police have arrested three accused men and two others have surrendered before the court. The police so far recovered stolen jewels worth Rs 8.36 crore out of the total stolen jewellery worth Rs 13 crore.