Five held for stealing 550 kg of silver in Salem

Five persons were arrested by the Salem City Police on Friday (October 23) for allegedly stealing 550 kg of silver items worth ₹13.50 crore from a building at Cinema Nagar near Chinnerivayalkadu in Pallapatti police limits in the wee hours of October 12.

According to the police, the accused attacked the watchman of the building before stealing 550 kg of silver ingots and anklets and other items.

The special police teams formed to investigate the theft identified the car used for the crime by checking CCTV camera footage and went to Coimbatore, Tiruchi, Madurai, and Thanjavur in pursuit of the accused.

On Thursday night, the police arrested the prime accused, identified as S. Abishiek (21) of Coimbatore district, from Thanjavur district; four other accused, identified as Sridhar, Gnanaprakasam, Arunkumar, and Annamalai, were arrested later. They were brought to Salem and questioned.

Commissioner of Police A.G. Babu said that after stealing the silver, the accused travelled 2,400 km in 24 hours, avoiding toll gates, taking alternative routes, and not stopping the car anywhere.

The prime accused later showed the police where the stolen items had been hidden in Thanjavur. The police recovered 323 kg of silver anklets and other items from him. The police also seized two four-wheelers, masks, gloves, spray, and iron rods from him. There is a murder case and an Arms Act case pending against Abishiek, the police said.

The stolen items were displayed at the office of Sooramangalam Assistant Commissioner of Police on Friday evening. Mr. Babu said footage from over 1,000 CCTV cameras was checked during the investigation.

The accused would be produced before the court and remanded. A search was on to arrest three more accused in the case, and the remaining items would be recovered, Mr. Babu said.