Madurai (Tamil Nadu), Nov 14 Two persons, including a social media influencer, were arrested in connection with a major burglary at a newly inaugurated Tanishq showroom in Palanganatham in this district, while a manhunt is underway to apprehend the prime suspect, police said on Saturday.
The arrested have been identified as Suresh and Meenakshi. About five kg of stolen gold ornaments were recovered from them.
According to police, Suresh is the father of the alleged mastermind, Nishanth, while Meenakshi is an Instagram influencer and a close associate of the main accused.
Both were tracked down and taken into custody using mobile phone signal surveillance.
The heist occurred at the outlet located along the Bypass Road, where masked intruders broke in and decamped with roughly 20 kilograms of gold jewellery valued at several crores of rupees.
Preliminary investigation had suggested the culprit exploited ongoing interior and electrical work at the recently inaugurated showroom, gaining entry through the elevator shaft area.
Police confirmed that the stolen valuables were swept entirely from the storefront display counters, leaving the high-security vaults untouched.
A crucial breakthrough came from scrutinizing surveillance footage in and around the premises.
CCTV visuals captured the prime suspect—who works as a bike-taxi driver—fleeing the scene on a two-wheeler in the early hours of Thursday.
Further review of earlier recordings revealed that he had conducted a recce at the store on three separate occasions prior to the theft.
Although the accused wore a different shirt during each visit to avoid detection, he came with the exact same cap every time, providing police with a decisive lead to establish his identity.
Special teams have been formed to trace and arrest Nishanth and police are still tallying the exact value of the recovered ornaments to determine the precise quantity of stolen gold that remains untraced.
(PTI News)
