Coimbatore police nab ATM burglary kingpin from Jaipur

COIMBATORE: Adding another feather in its cap, the city police arrested the leader of an interstate ATM burglary gang—that had looted Rs 30 lakh from three ATM machines in Coimbatore city last year—from Mansarovar in Jaipur, Rajasthan on Thursday.

The kingpin, identified as 43-year-old S

Islamuddin

, a native of

Punhana

village in

Nuh

district in Haryana, used to fly down to cities with his lover Kiran to steal money from ATMs, police commissioner K Periaiah said. “Islamuddin is a most wanted fugitive in Tamil Nadu, Kerala, Karnataka, Maharashtra, Uttar Pradesh, Gujarat, Haryana,

Madhya Pradesh

, Rajasthan, New Delhi and Goa. He is facing more than 60 cases across the country. He started his criminal career with stealing copper wires. Later, he started to target ATM machines, which he broke opened with the help of accomplices,” he said.

Deputy commissioner G Dharmarajan, who visited Rajasthan two weeks ago, had arranged informers to track Islamuddin. After receiving a tip-off from the informers on Wednesday afternoon, a special team led by assistant commissioner Balamurugan left for Jaipur. Islamuddin had visited Kiran’s house at Mansarovar on Wednesday afternoon in a car. Soon after receiving the information, Tamil Nadu police contacted the Rajasthan state police seeking assistance to nab him. A special police team carrying weapons surrounded the house at Mansarovar on Wednesday night. The special team from Coimbatore also reached the spot. On Thursday around 4.30am, police entered the house and arrested Islamuddin.

“When Delhi police tried to arrest him in 2016, Islamuddin opened fire on them. A circle inspector escaped only because he was wearing a bulletproof jacket. Islamuddin later came out on bail and went absconding,” said Periaiah.

“Islamuddin and gang stole a car from a police inspector on June 30, 2016. They also kidnapped the inspector and kept him in wrongful restraint inside the car, They robbed him of his ATM card and cash. In January 2015, Islamuddin’s gang hijacked a truck carrying copper wires worth Rs 80 lakh from Dindigul,” a police officer said.

The special police team will bring Islamuddin to Coimbatore on Friday morning.

An eight-member gang led by Islamuddin had broke opened three ATM machines on Thanneerpandal Road and

Avinashi Road

in Coimbatore on December 9, 2017 and looted Rs 30 lakh. With the help of Namakkal rural and Salem city police, Coimbatore city police arrested the gang members and seized two cars, a truck and Rs 3.03 lakh from them. They were later detained under the goondas Act.