Gang of 6 tries to rob petrol bunk staff, held

The accused were identified as Sathish (23), Emmanuel (18), Balajiraja (19), Praveen (18), Jegan Raj (20) and Mathiyazhagan (18), all of them from Chennai. The gang members entered the fuel station around 11.30 pm and woke up the employees on the pretext of seeking directions to an address. When one of the employees, Manikandan, stepped out of the office to answer their queries, two of the accused started attacking him with a machete, said police.

The CCTV footage showed the gang snatching the bag containing money and trying to flee. But the vehicles on which they came failed to start. By then, the other staff came to Manikandan’s rescue and foiled the bid to escape with the cash bag. The accused had to leave the vehicles behind and escape from the spot.

The staff rushed Manikandan to a hospital and informed the police. The Baluchettychatram police checked the CCTV footage and identified the robbers, who were nabbed on Monday evening. Police said they were involved in similar robberies along the highway in Kancheepuram and Chengalpattu. All were remanded in judicial custody.