Gang held near Vaniyambadi for burglary

A five-person gang was arrested by the Vaniyambadi Taluk police in Tirupattur on Saturday for stealing 52 pieces of gold jewellery, one kilogram of silver articles and cash worth around ₹20 lakh from the house of a painter recently.

The arrested persons have been identified as K. Naveen, 26, T. Parthiban, 30, S. Gopinath, 39, G. Manikandan, 40, and C. Sarathkumar, 25. They are previous offenders and have theft cases against them in Salem, Dharmapuri, Tirupattur, Thanjavottaiur and Pudukottaiur.

Initial investigations revealed that the victim, 39-year-old R. Prabhakaran, was living with his family including wife Geetha (34) and mother Ambika (65) in a house near Vaniyambadi town a few days ago when the gang barged into the house. Police said the gang allegedly tied up R. Prabhakaran, 39, and his family and stole valuables from the house before fleeing the scene.

Mr. Prabhakaran managed to untie himself and alerted the Vaniyambadi Taluk police. Special teams have been formed to nab the suspects. Police also analyzed CCTV footage to identify the suspects. The suspects were traced to a hideout in Thanjavur and arrested. The car used by the gang was also seized.

Police said the gang members became friends while serving prison terms. They travel to different parts of the state and stay in a locality before indulging in burglaries. A case has been registered and investigation is on.

Published – 8 Nov 2026 0:54 IST