Vadapalani finance firm dacoity: Two more arrested

CHENNAI: Police on Monday arrested two more persons in connection with the dacoity at the finance firm in Vadapalani finance firm last week.

Police said that Rs 10 lakh was recovered from the arrested persons, Ismail (21) and Bharath (23).

On August 16, a seven-member gang stole Rs 30 lakh from a private finance company in Vadapalani. The next day, police arrested Riyaz Basha (22), a second-year student at a city arts and science college. Riyaz suffered a road accident while attempting to escape.

Later, Riyaz’s friend, Kishore on Thursday while another person surrendered before a court in Tiruvallur.

Police said that Johny alias Santosh and Dinesh were arrested by a special team while the mastermind, Mottai alias Kannan was arrested by a special team near Mangadu on Friday. Police said that Rs 4.5 lakh were secured from them.

Preliminary investigations revealed that Riyaz and his friends were egged on by a man, who they knew as Mottai.

Police said that Mottai was aware of the transactions in the finance office as he used to take loans from there frequently.

The finance firm functions from a first-floor apartment on Mannar Mudali first street in Vadapalani.

One of the owners, D Saravanan (40) who also lives in the same apartment had rushed on hearing a commotion at the office and found his staff members injured. The gang who came around 3 pm had allegedly threatened them at knifepoint and escaped with the cash, police said.