Gang of 5 involved in 3 train robberies held in Tiruvottiyur

The accused have been identified as A Gangadaran (25) of Ernavur, E Arunraj (25), S Mohan Chand (22), E Raja (21) and R Saran (21) of Gummidipoondi.

The gang members, except Gangadharan, have been accused of robbery on Jaipur Express in the wee hours of Tuesday. Covering their faces with handkerchiefs, the gang entered the general compartment behind the locomotive near Basin Bridge soon after it departed from MGR Chennai Central. The gang threatened the passengers at knifepoint and relieved their valuables.

One of the victims, Venkateswara Rao of Visakhapatnam lodged a complaint at the Korukkupet Railway police station that the gang escaped with his three sovereign chain and a two-and-half sovereign ring, apart from a mobile phone from another passenger Suresh and cash from a few other passengers. The alighted the train at Wimco Nagar railway station when some of the passengers pulled the emergency chain.

Based on his complaint, the Korukkupet railway police registered a case and secured the suspects. They were booked under Sections 452 (trespassing to hurt), 342 (wrongful confinement), 294 (b) (obscene language), 392 (robbery), 397 (dacoity), 506 (2) (criminal intimidation) of IPC and remanded in judicial custody.

The police said that the other accused, Gangadharan, was arrested in connection with two other robberies reported in their jurisdiction earlier this year. “He robbed a woman passenger, N Suseela of Thiruvananthapuram, when she was travelling to Kalahasti on Kochuveli-Guwahati Special Express with her son and daughter. He boarded coach number S2 at Perambur Railway Station and robbed two-and-a-half sovereigns from her at knifepoint before jumping out of the train,” the police said. In April, he robbed three sovereigns from Mallika of Villupuram at knifepoint on Hyderabad Express when she was returning to Chennai, the police said.

All five men were remanded in judicial custody on Sunday.