Five-member gang escapes after assaulting police during robbery

COIMBATORE: A five-member gang assaulted two police personnel and escaped after being intercepted during a robbery at a rented house occupied by college students in Kuniamuthur on Monday.

According to police, the accused threatened R Kesavan (19), a native of Virudhunagar district and a third-year B.Com student at a private college in Coimbatore, and snatched a two-sovereign gold chain from him. Kesavan was residing in the house along with six other students.

Police said four of the students had stepped out, while Kesavan and two others were at home when five men entered the premises at night. The group allegedly threatened the students with a knife and demanded Rs 2 lakh after confining them in the house.

When the students told them that they did not have any cash, the accused took away the gold chain worn by Kesavan before attempting to flee. Acting on information provided by neighbours, two police personnel, who were on patrol in the neighbourhood, rushed to the spot. As the accused emerged from the house, the policemen intercepted them for questioning.

However, police said the suspects used pepper spray on the officers, assaulted them and escaped on Kesavan's two-wheeler. A case has been registered by Kuniamuthur police, and investigations are under way. Preliminary inquiries revealed that the suspects were from Sivaganga district.

Special police teams have been dispatched to Sivaganga to trace and apprehend them.

Police officials said many incidents targeting college students living in rented accommodations have been reported in the area in recent weeks, causing concern.