Coimbatore City Police's special team arrests Moorthy, the mastermind behind a gang involved in over 68 criminal cases across Tamil Nadu, including 18 robberies in Coimbatore district alone.
Coimbatore: The Coimbatore City Police's special team has arrested Moorthy (36), also known as 'Rodman', the leader of a gang involved in numerous criminal activities, including robberies across Tamil Nadu.
For the past two years, a mysterious gang had been carrying out robberies in areas near railway tracks in Coimbatore. Acting on the City Police Commissioner's directive, a special team was formed under the leadership of Singanallur Inspector Vinod Kumar and Kaadur Sub-Inspector Karthikeyan. The team had been conducting intensive search operations for the past three months.
Based on thorough investigation, Moorthy, a key figure in the series of robberies, was apprehended. During interrogation, he confessed to being involved in 18 robbery cases in Coimbatore district alone. Further investigation revealed that Moorthy had been involved in more than 68 criminal cases across Tamil Nadu. The special team also arrested his accomplice, Amsaraj (26). Gold jewelry, expensive cars, and two-wheelers were seized from them.
Moorthy, hailing from Periyakulam in Theni district, had been involved in criminal activities since 2020. Despite having more than 68 cases registered against him across Tamil Nadu, he had managed to evade arrest until now.
Nicknamed 'Rodman' for his ability to break into houses silently using an iron rod, Moorthy led a gang of seven members, mostly his relatives. They typically targeted houses near railway tracks, disguising themselves and speaking in different languages to confuse victims. The gang chose these areas due to the lack of CCTV cameras, low public movement, and absence of dogs.
Moorthy and his gang were particularly active in areas with numerous railway tracks in Coimbatore, such as Singanallur, Peelamedu, Ramanathapuram, and Thudiyalur. They usually traveled by bus to scout locations and didn't use phones or personal vehicles.
The police have recovered 63 sovereigns of gold jewelry from the robberies in Coimbatore alone. Moorthy typically invested the proceeds from his crimes in land and businesses. He had purchased a spinning mill worth four crore rupees in Rajapalayam and a 53-cent plot near Rajapalayam bus stand valued at one crore rupees.
Addressing reporters, Coimbatore City Deputy Commissioner of Police Stalin said, "We created a sketch based on CCTV footage of Moorthy, who usually wore a mask during robberies. This sketch was crucial in our investigation."
He added, "Suresh, another member of the gang, has been arrested by Rajapalayam police. The special team is searching for other members. Moorthy's wife has also been booked for her involvement in the crimes."
"Out of the 68 cases, approximately 1500 sovereigns of gold jewelry and Rs. 1.76 crore in cash were stolen. The special team has worked diligently over the past three months to apprehend this gang," the Deputy Commissioner concluded.