Chennai: Robbers from the outskirts of Chennai, who decided to rob a retired judge's house in Chennai, ended up staying in the house for three days as no one was home and spent the time drinking and partying. The 79-year-old Gnanapirakasam hails from Poonamalle Sannathi Street on the outskirts of Chennai.
He was a Chennai High Court judge who retired about 15 years ago. He has a house in Anna Nagar, which he frequently visits. As was his practice, the retired judge came to the Anna Nagar house on March 29. There, he was shocked to see that the lock of the house had been broken. As he entered the house, he was even more shocked to see that the bureau had been broken into and jewelry worth Rs 5 lakh and the same amount in cash had been looted.
So, Gnanappirakasam lodged a complaint at the Anna Nagar police station. Following the complaint, the Special Team led by Anna Nagar Assistant Commissioner of Police Ravichandran started an investigation into the robbery. A CCTV camera there revealed that a cyclist had been frequently riding in the area for three consecutive days.
This prompted the police to check CCTV footage from all the cameras in the area. Cops found the bicycle parked in a house in Shenoy Nagar and arrested Bhubaneswar, a Nepali national, who was present at the scene. Upon investigating the person, cops learned that a gang from Nepal was involved in the looting.
Police arrested Nepal-based Lal, Ganesan, and Badrai from Bangalore, based on the cell phone signals of the accused. Further investigation revealed that Lal was working as a watchman at a house in Shenoy Nagar and he used to observe houses that are closed for days so that they can rob safely. It is during then that they learned that the retired judge's house was locked for about five months.
So, the gang went and stayed at Gnanappirakasam's house on March 22, ate food, and drank alcohol. The next day, they looted the bureau. And realizing no one was going to catch them in the act, they looted vessels and other valuables from the house on the third day. Cops are on the lookout for a few more men from Nepal, who were allegedly involved in the robbery.
Meanwhile, the cops have retrieved the cash and jewels from the arrested trio. Higher officials have congratulated the cops for finding the thieves within five days since the case was filed. Police plan to take the culprits into their custody, to investigate further.
