Ex-convict held for theft of Rs 1.5-crore jewels from Ulundurpet pawnshop

CHENNAI: A 48-year-old ex-convict, allegedly involved in several burglaries in Tamil Nadu and Maharastra, was arrested on Wednesday for looting about 7.5 kg of gold, diamond and silver ornaments worth Rs 1.5 crore from a pawnbroker's shop in Ulundurpet near Villupuram in May. The police, who claimed to have cracked the case in 88 days with the help of the village intelligence' system, recovered the jewels from the courtyard of his house.
After residents of Poomampakkam in Villupuram district tipped them that K Shanmugam, a resident of the village, was roaming on a new bike and frequently visiting Pune, inspector general of police (north zone) Ramesh Kudawla, deputy inspector of police (Villupuram range) E Ma Masanamuthu, Villupuram superintendent of police P Pahalavan and others cornered Shanmugam.He first denied involvement but later confessed to committing the crime.
"Special teams went to his house and found that he put the ornaments in a vessel and buried it behind the kitchen. We recovered 6.629kg of gold jewels, 191g of diamond jewels and one kg of silver ornaments worth Rs 1.5 crore," additional director-general of police (law and order) K Radhakrishnan told TOI. Shanmugam was later remanded in judicial custody.
The police said pawnbroker M Santhilal Chordia of Ulundurpet and his family came to Chennai on May 30 and returned the next day to find the safe inside the shop broken and the jewellery stolen.
The police said Shanmugam, who was adopted by a couple from the village, Kathirvel and wife Poongavanam, when they were in Mumbai (then Bombay), dropped out after Class 8 and began selling balloons, electronic goods and watches. When he was 20, Shanmugam was arrested by the Mumbai police and jailed for two years for stealing building materials and pipes. Later, he married Veerammal and had two sons. After Kathirvel retired, the family returned to Poomampakkam. However, Shanmugam went back to Mumbai, married' a Marathi girl and had two daughters and a son with her.
After Kathirvel's death, Shanmugam returned home and began committing thefts on express trains in Vriddachalam and Tiruchi. On May 30, he looted Chordia's shop in Ulundurpet, the police said.
selvaraj.a@timesgroup.com