Train heist: Kingpin among 5 held

The arrested persons were identified as Mohar Singh, suspected to be the ring leader, Rusi Pardi, Kaliya alias Krishan, Mahesh Pardi and Brajmohan alias Biltya. They were lodged in two prisons in MP, from where TN police arrested them. The team had arrested Dinesh and Rohan Pardi on October 12.

The Eleventh Metropolitan Magistrate Court in Saidapet granted the CB-CID 14-day custody of the five men for detailed inquiry. “Mohar Singh being the mastermind, we hope to get the complete details of the modus operandi when we question him in detail. He was using all other suspects on need-to-know basis. We are also on the lookout for a couple of other suspects linked to the heist,” a senior CB-CID official said.

The gang had looted Rs 5.78 crore from the money wagon attached to the Salem – Chennai train on the night of August 8, 2016, after making hole on top of the compartment of the moving train. A total of 1.15 lakh currency notes of old Rs 500, kept in two boxes, weighing about 132 kg, were stolen.