Cops use helicam to nab gang of ATM thieves

Interestingly, technology came to the aid of cops in nabbing three burglars, who were hiding on the terrace of a house and in a corn field in the hinterland of Namakkal. They were traced using a helicam.

Special teams of police, who were trailing the burglars, tipped off the Namakkal police about thieves fleeing in cars. Following this, a huge contingent led by Namakkal Superintendent of Police Ara Arularasu carried out a vehicle check at the Keerambur checkpost on the National Highway.

At 3.30 am, a Haryana registered car sped away after crashing into the drop gate of the check post and immediately, two teams of cops led by the SP and ADSP Senthil chased it for 10 kms and finally intercepted it near Pommaikuttaimedu. The three men abandoned the car, took to their heels and took cover in the nearby Palapatty village.

Meanwhile, two other thieves who were speeding away in another car were blocked by a lorry at the Keerambur check post. Inquiries revealed that they were part of the same gang.

With additional police reinforcements, the teams began intensive search operations in Pommaikuttaimedu, Melpalapatty, Keelpalapatty and Marurpatty villages for the three burglars. As the villages were surrounded by corn fields, police had difficulty in locating them.

The cops then engaged a heli-camera to zero in on the culprits. One of them was found hiding on the terrace of a building and was immediately nabbed. Two others were tracked to the corn fields. The six-hour search operation finally ended at 9.30am with the arrest of five persons identified as Salman alias Mubarak, (30), Zuber, (19) from Rajasthan, Ameeth Kumar, (25) from Haryana, Mustak Ithriz, (32) from Uttar Pradesh and Zulbikiri, (25) from Bihar. They were handed over to Coimbatore Crime Branch Police.

Three of gang held in Salem

In Salem, police arrested three members of the same gang during a vehicle check and seized a mini lorry from them. In fact the men in the lorry would follow the cars and stop by to cook food for the thieves.

Police said they found bullets in one of the cars, but did not seize any pistol from the culprits. All the eight were brought to Coimbatore for further investigation. Besides some futile attempts, the gang members had looted around Rs 30 lakh by breaking open two ATMs of private banks using gas cutters on Vilankurichi Road in Coimbatore, police said.