Two including Chennai cop held for attempted robbery

MADURAI: Two persons, including a Chennai policeman, were arrested in Tuticorin on Thursday while attempting to break into a co-operative bank.
A team of patrolling officials, including Kayatharu police inspector Udhayasuriyan and sub-inspector Marudhanayagam, saw three men attempting to break the lock of the primary co-operative bank in Settikurichi, within the Kayatharu police limits.On seeing the police, the men tried to flee the spot, but the cops managed to nab two of them after a short chase.
Police sources said the bank had about 12 kilograms of gold and about Rs 5 lakh in cash.
Investigations revealed that the gang had planned elaborately for the robbery and had come with a gas cylinder and a welding machine to cut through the bank’s iron grill. A two-wheeler, a cylinder and a welding machine were seized from them.
It was later found out that one of the arrested men Karthikeyan (29), son of Duraipandian of Poolangulam near Panavadalichathiram in Tirunelveli, was a policeman. The other two were identified as Palpandian (29) of Karuppanoothu and Kanagaraj (29) of Ayyapuram Amman Koil Street. Kanagaraj, who’s on the run, is reportedly the leader of the team.
Karthikeyan is a constable at Tondaiyarpet police station in Chennai. He is married and has two children, but had been in close contact with his two childhood friends, who were known criminals. He had come on one month’s medical leave “in order to rob the bank”.
Ashwin M Kotnis, Tuticorin superintendent of police, said Karthikeyan was a 2008 batch constable. He is suspected to have teamed up with the gang to conduct two robberies. “They do not seem like an organised crime gang,” he said.
The trio had attempted to rob another co-operative bank in Ayyapuram about a week ago. The attempt was futile because the siren had gone off and they had to flee.
Kanagaraj is said to be the mastermind of several robberies in the region, police said, adding his arrest may throw more light on the spate of burglaries committed here. The police are still on the lookout for him, he added.