VELLORE: Cash to the tune of Rs 7.40 lakh and 33 mobile phones were seized following the arrest of 8 persons by the Katpadi police on Tuesday night.
The arrested were identified as Murugan (36) of Chennai, Ponraj (69), Srinivasan (32), Siva (32), and Santosh (19) all of Vellore, Sankar (52) and Manickam (57) both of Ranipet and Adhi Lakshmi (29) of Nellore in Andhra Pradesh.
It is said, that Parvez Ahamed of Bengaluru, who used to buy consumer items from Ismail of Chennai, approached the latter some days ago for another load. However, Ismail, who had run out of stocks, asked Prevez to contact Sankar, his friend at Katpadi in Vellore district.
When Prevez did so, Sankar asked him to come to Katpadi where he promised to provide him what he needed. On October 7, Pervez came to Vellore in a car with three of his friends from Bengaluru and Sankar and, when contacted, took them to a godown at Tiruvalam in his car.
When the vehicle neared Ammundi, a group of five persons claiming to be police stopped the vehicle to check it and then escaped with Sankar. They also took away with them Rs 3 lakh cash and a cheque for Rs 2 lakh which Pervez handed over to Sankar.
Pervez complained to the Katpadi police, who while on a routine check at Virudampattu, stopped a four-wheeler. When Sankar, who was driving, gave contradictory replies to their questions, they interrogated him further. Finally, he confessed to having cheated Pervez. All eight persons, based on Sankar’s information were arrested and remanded.