Police Bust Madhya Pradesh Gang Behind Gold Thefts from Parked Buses in Tamil Nadu
Thoothukudi district police have busted a gang from Madhya Pradesh that is accused of stealing over 160 sovereigns of gold from parked buses in various districts of Tamil Nadu in July and August. One person has been arrested, and about 50 sovereigns of gold have been recovered, police said. Over 160 sovereigns is equivalent to approximately 1.28 kilograms of gold.
The arrested person has been identified as J. Makasud Khan, 35, a resident of Dhar district in Madhya Pradesh. The police have solved two theft cases—one reported in Kayathar in Thoothukudi district and another in Batlagundu in Dindigul district. However, several other accused are absconding, and further recovery in cases reported in Aravakurichi, Tirunelveli, and Oddanchatram can be made only after their arrest, according to Thoothukudi Superintendent of Police R. Shiva Prasad. The SP said that the gang had come in a car in July and their only target was valuables left by passengers in luxury buses when they were halted at motels.
The gang's modus operandi involved targeting luxury buses parked at motels, where they would wait for passengers to leave their valuables unattended. "These accused wait at the motels and barge into the parked buses in the guise of passengers and lay their hands on bags with valuables," the SP said. By the end of August, they had successfully stolen over 160 sovereigns of gold in five locations, he added. The gang members would board the buses posing as passengers, and while the passengers were away, they would steal bags containing valuables.
The investigation began after 40.8 sovereigns of gold were stolen from a bus parked at a hotel near the NHAI toll gate in Kayathar on August 28. A team of Thoothukudi district police, led by Kovilpatti Assistant Superintendent of Police, launched a probe. "In this case at Kayathar, they had taken only one bag that had 40.8 sovereigns of gold. We suspect that they could have done some recce in identifying the only bag which needs to be investigated," the SP said. The police are trying to ascertain how the gang identified the bus with the gold.
Using video footage from CCTV cameras installed in the bus, the police identified the accused with the help of Madhya Pradesh police. A team led by Inspector of Police Vanamalamai went to Dhar district and secured him. The police have recovered 50 sovereigns from Khan. The arrest was made after a detailed investigation using CCTV footage and coordination with Madhya Pradesh police.
Other thefts attributed to the gang include 21 sovereigns from a bus in Oddanchatram on July 31, 23.5 sovereigns in Aravakurichi on August 23, 79.5 sovereigns in Virudhunagar district on August 24, and 8.5 sovereigns from a bus in Batlagundu. These thefts occurred in different districts, indicating the gang's extensive operation across Tamil Nadu.
In India, one sovereign equals approximately 8 grams of gold. The thefts have raised concerns about the security of passengers' valuables during bus journeys, especially during halts at motels and hotels. The police have advised passengers to remain vigilant and keep their valuables secure while travelling.
Investigations are ongoing to trace the absconding accused and recover the remaining stolen gold. The police are also checking if the gang was involved in similar thefts in other districts. Further details are awaited as the probe continues. The police have said that they are working to arrest the other gang members and recover the remaining gold.
