Probe into robbery throws clues on smuggling racket

Police said that Jaffer Sadiq and Mohammed Thameem Ansari were travelling to the airport on a bike on Monday night. When they were near Thevar statue on Anna Salai, a four-member gang wearing masks intercepted them. The gang attacked the duo, threw chilli powder on their faces and robbed 17,900 US dollars at knifepoint.

After Jaffer Sadiq lodged a complaint with the Teynampet police, a special team led by Assistant Commissioner P Govindaraju launched a hunt for the suspects.

However, during questioning, Thameem Ansari confessed to the police that he hatched the robbery drama along with his friends. Based on his inputs, Karthik (25), Manoharan (28), Arunkumar (21) and Vignesh (23) were secured from their hideout.

During further investigation, the accused persons reportedly told police that Sadiq and his two partners were involved in sending youngsters to countries like Thailand and Malaysia as couriers to smuggle gold and phones without paying import duty. “On Monday, Sadiq was on the way to the airport to send Mohammed Thameem Ansari with the US dollars to Bangkok to buy gold,” said a police officer quoting the accused person.

While the five suspects will be remanded in judicial custody on Wednesday, Jaffer Sadiq and his partners will be investigated further, the police said.