AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA

NT Bureau
Chennai, Aug 27:

        A two-member gang involved in waylaying cars and extorting money and valuables from the passengers was nabbed by the police at gun point after a hot chase at Kodambakkam yesterday.

        Five cellphones, one laptop, a car and two-wheelers were confiscated by the police team from the arrested youths. The modus operandi of the duo — Suresh, 21, a resident of Thirunagar at Vadapalani, and his friend Balaji, 22, living at Ganga Colony in Kodambakkam — is to threaten car drivers for allegedly hitting their two-wheelers and extort money from them for causing damage to the vehicle before escaping from the scene. Only after a complaint was lodged by Dr Balamurugan whose car was abducted recently on the 100 Feet Road near Vadapalani by the gang, the Kodambakkam Police formed a special team to investigate the robbery cases.

        Dr Balamurugan was returning to his home at Annanagar when he stopped his car to pass urine on 100 Feet Road. When he was about to resume his car seat, the duo came in a motorcycle and one of them punched on the doctor's face alleging that the latter's car had damaged their two-wheeler. While one of the duo took up the steering wheel, another threatened the doctor to part with money. However, Balamurugan had only Rs 400 at that time and hence, they forced him to use the ATM to draw money. But due to nil balance in his account, he could not get the money. Feeling irked, the youths dropped Balamurugan and sped away with this car. Immediately, the doctor lodged a complaint at the Kodambakkam Police station, following which a special team was set up under Deputy Commissioner Lakshmi was formed which included Assistant Commissioner Thalakraj and Inspector Sampath.

        During their search operation, the special team was alerted to the movement of the stolen car at United India Colony in Kodambakkam yesterday. Seeing the police jeep, the duo tried to evade the law by speeding up the car. When the police surrounded the car, the duo parked the vehicle on footpath and ran away. They hurled soda bottles at the police team which, however, encircled the duo within hours. Suresh and Balaji were nabbed at gun point and taken into custody.

        During the interrogation of the duo, startling revelations tumbled out. Both of them had studied together up to Xth class and then pursued ITI course in different institutions. They worked as collecting agents for a credit card firm. But they were dismissed from service on disciplinary grounds.

        Once when they were riding near Loyola College, the duo obstructed a car and punched its driver on the face for allegedly damaging their two-wheeler and demanded money as compensation. The car driver took an auto and withdrew money from ATM for giving the sum to the duo. His cellphone was also taken away by the duo.

        Hitting on a novel and easy method to earn money, both of them in the last month alone robbed five persons of cash and other valuables under the false pretext of their two-wheeler being hit by the victims' cars. On 6 August, they confronted Sivakumar at West Mambalam for allegedly writing love letters to their sister and robbed cash to the tune of Rs 7,000 and cellphone from that stranger.

        Sasikumar's car was blocked and he was relieved of cash to the tune of Rs 4,500; a software engineer Jayashankar was threatened to part with Rs 4,000 in cash; and a bank officer at West Mambalam too had to part with his laptop as he did not have cash at that time of being waylaid by the duo. The two youths are being further investigated by the special team of the Kodambkkam Police.