Tragedy struck Tamil Nadu Police early Wednesday when Selvaraj Periyapandian, an inspector of police belonging to the suburban Maduravoyal Police Station was shot dead in Rajasthan where he has gone on a mission to nab some dacoits who had robbed a jewellery shop in Chennai.
The incident occurred at Rampura Kalan village in Pali district of Rajasthan where the suspects in the jewellery shop heist were hiding. Periyapandian (48) was about to nab Nathuram, the prime accused in the jewellery shop heist, when one of the latter’s associates snatched the official pistol from the inspector and shot at him from close range. The inspector died on the spot while one of his colleagues Muni Sekhar escaped with minor injuries.
According to Chennai Police, Naturam from Pali district in Rajasthan with the help of his associates had looted a jewellery shop in Chennai’s Kolathur suburb on November 16 by making a drill over the roof of the shop. They decamped with gold weighing about 3.5 kg, silver and other valuables stored in the shop.
The police zeroed in on Nathuram and others from the visuals they collected from the closed circuit TV cameras installed in the location and the version given by the locals.
Nathuram had hired a shop on the first floor of the Kolathur jewellery shop.
The special team constituted to nab the robbers could reach Rajasthan and Pali district based on the clues provided by the owners of the building and the jewellery shop.