Gang loots Rs 52L from shop at knifepoint, 5 held

Police arrested M Manimaran of Broadway, who was working in the shop for the last 15 years, for executing the robbery with the help of his friends. The others arrested were identified as M Karthik, Ma Raj, P Vijayakumar and Subramani. 

According to Esplanade police officers, who are investigating the case, the shop supplies materials to construction companies. The employees of the shop owned by one Saleem, used to collect the dues from several construction firms and bring the money to their office for counting every Saturday night. This routine was known to people who have worked there. After investigating this angle, police picked up six men for investigation. 

A four-member gang entered the shop located on Sembudoss Street, at around 11 pm on Saturday just before Saleem, a resident of Chetpet, was getting ready to shut the facility. A few of the staff were counting the collection money in the first floor of the shop. 

Quoting the complaint, police said that three of his staff members – Manimaran, the mastermind behind the robbery, Dinesh and Sameem, were present in the shop when the gang barged into the office and robbed them at knifepoint. “They claimed that another employee, who was identified as Maharajan, suffered a knife injury in the incident as he entered the shop when the gang was rushing out after taking all the money,” police noted. He was rushed to a nearby hospital. 

On receipt of information, a team from Esplanade police station rushed to the spot along with a finger print team. Police are also combing the surveillance camera footage from the locality and are certain that it was an insider job.