Influencer Arrested Over 10.5 kg Madurai Gold Heist. She Knew Where Jewels Were

Madurai City Police have arrested an Instagram influencer, Meenakshi, who is a close friend of the prime accused Nishanth, in connection with the theft of jewellery from a Tanishq showroom. Police have also arrested Nishanth's father, Ashok, while efforts are continuing to trace and arrest Nishanth.

Police confirmed to NDTV that Nishanth is missing and that special teams are working to track him down.

Meenakshi has more than 1 lakh followers on her personal Instagram account, where she posts video reviews of technology products. She was also associated with the Instagram page 'techbossIndia', which has 1 million followers. Nishanth has appeared in videos alongside Meenakshi. He also has a separate Instagram account where he posts travel videos and works as a video editor.

A senior Madurai City Police officer told NDTV that Nishanth had allegedly planned the heist after visiting the jewellery showroom several times.

"Nishanth planned the heist after visiting the jewellery showroom multiple times. His close friend Meenakshi, an Instagram influencer, and his father Ashok also have connections to the case. Meenakshi was aware of where the stolen jewels were hidden. We are tracing Nishanth, who is absconding," the officer said.

Initially, CCTV footage appeared to show a lone masked man entering the Tanishq showroom and fleeing with the jewellery. However, as the investigation progressed, police examined additional CCTV footage and other evidence, which helped them establish the alleged links of Meenakshi and Ashok to the theft.

Following her arrest, Meenakshi reportedly disclosed where the stolen jewellery had been concealed. Police subsequently recovered more than 5 kg of jewellery from an isolated location where the accused had allegedly buried and hidden it.

Police are continuing their efforts to arrest Nishanth. Meanwhile, Meenakshi and Ashok are expected to be produced before a magistrate.

As much as 10.5 kg of gold jewellery and 1 kg of diamond jewellery were stolen from the Tanishq showroom on the night of September 4.

Madurai City Police had formed nine special teams to investigate the heist. A preliminary investigation revealed that the showroom was a recently inaugurated branch where some construction work was still underway. Police also identified certain security lapses at the premises.