KRISHNAGIRI: A four-member gang has been arrested on charges of burgling a house near Pochampally in Krishnagiri district. Police have recovered 10 sovereigns of stolen gold jewellery from the gang members, identified as Prabhu, 38, Gokulraj, 26, Arjunan, 38, and Thirupathi, 36, of Kuttur Dharmapuri district.The burglary took place in the house of M Sivan, 43, of Kenginayakkanpatti near Pochampally on Aug 19 when he and his family members were in Hosur. Taking advantage of the family’s absence, the gang broke into the locked house around 1am on Aug 19. “To conceal their identity and destroy evidence, the burglars first damaged three CCTV cameras installed in front of the house before entering the premises,” said a police officer. He added the gang then broke open a steel almirah and decamped with 20 sovereigns of gold jewellery and Rs 3 lakh in cash.The theft came to light in the morning when a neighbour noticed the damaged cameras and broken lock. He informed Sivan, who rushed back from Hosur and found the valuables missing. He lodged a complaint with the Pochampally police.Two special teams comprising personnel from Bargur and Pochampally police stations were formed to trace the culprits.“During the investigation, police examined footage from more than 70 CCTV cameras in and around the area. Based on technical analysis and specific intelligence inputs, the special teams arrested Prabhu and Gokulraj while they were staying in Kuppam in neighbouring Andhra Pradesh in September,” inspector Vanithamani said. Police intensified surveillance at Kuttur village and arrested Arjunan and Thirupathi on Thursday (Oct 22).Investigations revealed that Prabhu was the mastermind of the burglary. Hailing from Andhra Pradesh, he has been living in Kuttur after separating from his wife and remarrying.Prabhu and Gokulraj worked as masons and identified locked houses while engaged in daytime work. They would later return with Arjunan and Thirupathi to steal valuables.All were remanded in judicial custody.
