COIMBATORE: The Coimbatore police on Wednesday arrested four students of a private college for decamping with valuables from the room of another student, Mohammed Payaz (21) of Kerala, by threatening him with a knife and sickle. Police said Mohammed was studying second-year nursing and staying in a room with a few other students at GKS Nagar in Saravanampatti.

“On the night of August 1, he was alone when a gang of six masked robbers barged into the room. They took away four cell phones, one wrist watch and Rs 4,300 in cash by threatening him with knives and sickle,” they said.

The Saravanampatti police registered a case, and special teams tracked down four private college students -- Ajay Praveen, Naresh, and Gunalan, all studying third-year BE, and Santhosh, studying second-year BSc Pharmacy. They all were aged 19. The search for two more persons, who have completed their course in the same college and are on the run, is underway. Inquiries by police revealed that they were involved in several robberies targeting students staying in rooms and spent the money lavishly.