Police have detained six people in connection with the snatching of a bag of gold from a jewellery shop owner at Chalai in Thiruvananthapuram, in a breakthrough that came after a chase across three states, PTI reported on Saturday, citing police sources.

Source: PTI via Swadesi News

Four of the detained men, who police allege were directly involved in the snatching, were intercepted in Wayanad district, while the other two, alleged to be part of the conspiracy, were taken into custody in Thiruvananthapuram, police sources told PTI.

The detentions follow the heist reported earlier this week, when a bike-borne gang snatched the gold bag from Vaishnavi Jewellery owner Nandakumar as he rode home after closing his Chalai shop. Read the earlier report

According to the police account carried by PTI, Nandakumar (50) was returning home on his electric scooter after closing the shop at around 10.35 pm on Thursday when, on the road from Chalai towards Marakkada Road, two helmeted men on a motorcycle came up from behind and snatched the black bag he was carrying. The FIR values the gold in the bag at about Rs 2.6 crore, and a case was registered at Fort police station under sections 304 and 3(5) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita.

Police said they got leads on those involved on Friday. The motorcycle used in the crime had been abandoned, and the accused allegedly travelled by car to Tamil Nadu; as the Kerala police probe extended there, the gang moved to Karnataka, and then shifted to Wayanad when they realised they were being pursued, officials said. Acting on information from the investigation team, Wayanad police intercepted the four accused, and a team from Thiruvananthapuram was sent to bring them to the state capital.

In a detail that deepens the case, police said the detained persons were associated with the jewellery shop itself, and that detailed interrogation was needed to establish the full extent of the alleged conspiracy and how the robbery was carried out. Police said they have information on the whereabouts of the stolen gold and are trying to recover it after questioning the accused.

Onmanorama reported that, according to the police investigation, the snatching was plotted out of business rivalry, with the gang allegedly aiming to sabotage the jeweller's successful enterprise. That motive remains a police line of investigation reported by the outlet, not a proven finding.

Source: Onmanorama via World News Garden

Allegations, not convictions

All six men are detained for questioning on police allegations. No court has tested the claims against them, and the alleged rivalry motive is part of an ongoing investigation.

What happens next turns on the interrogation in Thiruvananthapuram, the attempted recovery of the gold, and whether police formally arrest the detained men and produce them before a court.