Influencer among two arrested in multi-crore heist at jewellery showroom in Madurai, say police

Madurai City Police arrested two people in connection with the multi-crore gold and diamond jewellery robbery at a Tanishq showroom on Madurai Bypass Road.

Madurai City Deputy Commissioner of Police (South) AG Inigo Divyan confirmed the arrests to news agency ANI. The two arrested have been identified as Suresh and Meenakshi, an Instagram influencer. Further details about their alleged roles in the robbery are awaited.

The theft came to light on November 12, when employees arrived at the showroom and found that gold and diamond ornaments were missing from the display counters, HT reported.

How the robbery took place

According to preliminary investigations, the culprits entered the showroom at around 3 am on November 12 after drilling a hole in its rear wall, an official of the SS Colony Police Station said.

Madurai South Deputy Commissioner of Police AG Inigo Divyan said CCTV footage showed a masked person entering the showroom through the rear entrance and escaping with the jewellery.

"It is not sure whether one person was involved in the crime or a gang looted the jewellery. The ornaments kept on display have been looted (not in the locker facilities)," the official said.

Police have collected fingerprints from the crime scene and are examining surveillance footage to establish how many people were involved in the robbery.

How much jewellery was stolen?

The estimated quantity of stolen jewellery has varied since the burglary came to light. On Thursday, a senior police official said around 4 kg of gold was missing. However, reports on Friday put the quantity of missing ornaments at around 15 kg.

Madurai City Police Commissioner S Rajendran, who inspected the crime scene on November 12, said that around 30 per cent of the jewellery in stock at the showroom had been stolen. "Investigation is on," he said.

When HT attempted to contact Rajendran to confirm the quantity of jewellery stolen, he did not respond to calls or messages.

Police examine possible leads

Meanwhile, A Arumugam, a travel operator who runs a shop near the Tanishq outlet, told the media that he had seen a middle-aged man leaving the showroom on a scooter around the time of the robbery.

"He must be around 35-40 years of age. I saw him leaving the showroom on a scooter at that time," he said.

The showroom was inaugurated on November 8, coinciding with the Deepavali festival. Police are also examining whether people involved in construction work behind the showroom or its employees could have any connection to the robbery.

The police have collected details of the showroom employees and are also examining workers involved in constructing the facility as part of the investigation.