CHENNAI: A five-member shoplifting gang, including a 70-year-old woman, that operated across Tamil Nadu, was busted by the Greater Chennai Police, during an investigation into the case in which the gang stole materials from two supermarkets in Anna Nagar, on Monday.
According to the police, the gang has been operating for several years now and have stolen from supermarkets across the State. They were also allegedly involved in a knife-point robbery in Anna Nagar.
Explaining the planning that went behind the operation, a police officer said the women got pockets stitched in their petticoats. They target supermarkets, steal products, and stash the stolen goods inside the pockets. "These products are then shipped to their native places through courier and are sold there," said the officer.
The arrested persons were identified as Lakshmi alias Dhanalakshmi (50) and Nagammal alias Nagu (70) of Uthamapalayam in Theni district, Murugan (58) of Madurai district, Mudharsir (40) of Vellore district, and Karan Kumar (25) of Madurai district.
Police said that the gang stole at two Pazhamuthir super markets on 3rd Avenue and 6th Avenue in Anna Nagar.
The store managers checked CCTV and found the women grabbing tea powder, oil packets, and other grocery items inside their clothing and leaving without paying. The Anna Nagar police registered two theft cases and began the investigation, during which they found that the gang was allegedly involved in a knife-point robbery outside the 6th Avenue store, where Rs 2,500 was robbed from a staff member of the supermarket.
The gang members were staying at a lodge in Vadapalani, the police said. The arrested persons were produced before a magistrate and remanded in judicial custody.