Chennai:

The Namakkal police in Tamil Nadu detained a container allegedly carrying huge cash robbed from three ATMs in Kerala after a 12-kilometre chase on Friday morning. One of the suspects was shot dead, while another man in the seven-member gang was shot in the leg.

Two policemen, including an inspector, were also injured when the gang attempted to flee after attacking them.

Police say seven men were in the container truck and when the rear door was opened they assaulted the police, forcing them to fire in self defence.  

“Two of our police personnel have been injured in the attack,” T Senthil Kumar, Inspector General of Police, Western Range, told NDTV.

A gang of seven, all from Haryana, robbed three ATMs of State Bank of India in Thrissur today. The loot is reported to be over Rs 60 lakh. The cops are still counting the money.

“We are counting the cash. We will know the details of the seizure soon after which we’d issue a statement,” said the police.

The container truck, say investigators, did not stop on the highway when the Tamil Nadu police intercepted it and the vehicle continued to move hitting two wheelers.

“The gang is from Haryana. We had to open fire in self defence as they assaulted us when the rear door was opened. We have arrested six,” said a police officer to NDTV. 

A car without a number plate concealed inside the truck was seized from them. The cops have also recovered weapons, including guns, from the thieves.

“Their modus operandi is they use this car for recce of the ATMs they plan to break open and then put it back in the container so CCTVs will never get images of this car. They also carry gas cutters and other equipment to break open ATMs,” said Mr Shankar Jiwal, Director General of Police and Head of the Police Force in Tamil Nadu.

Gas cutters and other similar equipment were also found in the container.
 

A 12-member gang robbed a gold merchant of 2.63kg of jewellery worth around ₹1.84 crore in broad daylight by waylaying his car at Kallidukku along the National Highway 544 in Peechi within Thrissur city limits last Sunday (September 22, 2024) around 11:15 a.m.

The Peechi police have registered a First Information Report based on a complaint lodged by the victim Arun Sunny, 40, a resident of Chembukkavu village in Thrissur. His friend Rojy Thomas was also with him at the time of the incident. According to the complainant, both of them were assaulted by the assailants.

Reportedly, the two were coming from Coimbatore to Thrissur with the jewellery when the accused who came in three SUVs waylaid their car at Kallidukku Service Road. Incidentally, the footage of the filmy style action was accidentally caught in the CCTV of a private bus behind the victim’s car.

While one car could be seen parked obstructing the path of the victim’s car, the other two were parked by its right side and behind it with a trailer on the left side. The victim and his friend could be seen forcibly moved into one of the cars of the accused wearing facemasks. One of the accused then got behind the sedan of the accused and all four vehicles were driven away.

According to the FIR, the two were assaulted, including using a hammer, reportedly for information about the jewellery hidden inside their car. After looting the jewellery hidden, reportedly inside a secret chamber in the car, both were dumped in two different locations while their car was also abandoned.

“We are still investigating the case. There is as yet no information about the assailants,” said Peechi police sources.

The accused have been booked under the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita Sections 126(2) (wrongful restraint), 310(2) (dacoity), 137(2) (abduction).

Fireworks on the occasion of Thrissur Pooram festival on April 20, 2024.
| Photo Credit: PTI

Fireworks enthusiasts who thronged Thrissur city in Kerala from far and near to watch the magnificent pyrotechnics show as part of Thrissur Pooram were disappointed on April 20 (Saturday).

Protests over police restrictions at Thekkinkadu maidan delayed the iconic Thrissur Pooram fireworks for more than four hours. As a result, the colourful fireworks, one of the most sought-after pyrotechnics shows in Kerala, was forced to display in the daylight, reducing it to a mere show of smoke and sound.

The Paramekkavu Devaswom kicked off the fireworks display around 7 a.m. on Saturday. The Thiruvambadi Devaswom show followed.

Minor clashes

The problem started when the police stopped people from entering the Thekkinkadu maidan using barricades during the Madathil Varavu procession (night pooram) around 11 p.m. Minor clashes occurred between the police and the people. The Thiruvambadi Devaswom decided to call off the Pooram in protest against police restrictions and switched off the lights at its ‘poorapanthal’ at Naikanal and Naduvilal.

There was commotion at the Paramekkavu procession too due to police restrictions.

Confusion prevailed over the pyrotechnics show as the Thiruvambadi Devaswom refused to budge. All this time, lakhs of people were waiting with bated breath.

Later, the stalemate was over after many rounds of discussions for over four hours following the intervention of Revenue Minister K. Rajan.

The fireworks, which was earlier scheduled to start at 3 a.m., eventually commenced at 7 a.m. without the usual sheen and colour.

Though rains have played spoilsport before, it is for the first time in history that Thrissur Pooram fireworks were delayed due to administrative reasons.