Four arrested in Tamil Nadu for stealing diamonds worth ₹20 crore: Police

Four people have been arrested for allegedly stealing diamonds worth ₹20 crore after assaulting a merchant inside a hotel in the city, police said, adding that the accused were chased from Chennai to Thoothukudi.

Police identified the accused as John Lloyd, Vijay, Ratheesh, and Arun Pandiarajan, aged between 24 and 34. All of them are residents of Chennai. They assaulted a diamond merchant, S Chandrasekar, inside a hotel room in Chennai.

“They first met him in his house. Later, the accused told the diamond merchant that the deal could be closed on May 4 at a hotel. They told him that they would give him cash for the diamonds. The diamond merchant realised that it was a trap only when he entered the hotel room. The four accused physically assaulted him physically and tied him to a chair inside the room and escaped with diamonds worth ₹20 crore,” a senior police officer said.

“The merchant screamed for help and was saved by the hotel staff. Then he filed a complaint at the Vadapalani police station, which registered a case and began the investigation. Four special teams were formed on Sunday evening. We identified the gang’s vehicle after reviewing CCTV footage from the hotel and public areas. Within 12 hours from when the complaint was filed, we were able to nab them while they sped in a jeep,” the officer said.

“The police alerted their district counterparts to chase them at various locations until Thoothukudi district. They also took the help of the Thoothukudi police and stopped the gang’s jeep near a check post at Pudur Pandiyapuram and arrested the accused. The stolen diamonds were inside their jeep,” the officer said, adding that the four arrested will be brought to Chennai to be produced before a court to be remanded.