Frenchman robbed on Chennai beach, 6 held

CHENNAI: Police on Friday arrested six people for attacking and robbing a French national, who came to Chennai to work on an offshore project at a leading software company on Old Mahabalipuram Road (OMR), when he went out for a late-night stroll on the Thiruvanmiyur beach on Thursday.Police said Arnaud Auger, 26, who worked at the software company’s office at the International Tech Park on CSIR Road in Taramani, went to the beach after his work on Thursday at 11.30pm, when he was intercepted by the gang.When confronted by the gang members, Auger ran towards the beach road. They chased him and cornered him. They asked him to part with his valuables. When he refused, they snatched his mobile phone, debit and credit cards and the nationality card. They also took 8,000 that he had in his wallet and escaped.Auger, who is new to Chennai, lost his way and informed some of his colleagues. As per their advice, he called the emergency number ‘100’ and informed police about the incident. Police personnel rescued Auger from the beach and he later lodged a complaint at the Thiruvanmiyur police station.Acting swiftly, police arrested six suspects, all from a nearby slum in Besant Nagar, on Friday. They were identified as Kathirvel, 24, Karthik, 25, Siva, 23, Mani, 27, Reddy alias Kumaresh, 25, and Kathir alias Kathiresan, 23. Police said they are gaana singers -- people who dance at funerals. Auger’s stolen credit/debit cards and mobile phone were recovered from them.After the robbery was reported, police commissioner S George instructed his subordinates to nab the suspects as quickly as possible as a foreign national had come under attack in the city. An assistant commissioner of police and three inspectors were given the task of narrowing down on the suspects.Preliminary inquiries revealed that Auger may have been targeted by people living close to the beach. Witnesses told police that they had seen some ‘gaana’ singers at the beach.A senior police officer said, “We have solved the case within 24 hours by arresting all the suspects and recovering all the stolen valuables.”Police said Auger came the city a few months ago and stayed in a house on Tiger Varadhachari Street in Besant Nagar.