MADURAI: A gang of five criminals, who had robbed several robbers of their booty in the guise of special branch policemen at various places in southern Tamil Nadu, landed in the police net on Sunday during a vehicle check in Madurai, blowing the lid off a wider network involving more people.One of the arrested persons, C Arulvelu of Chintamani, told the police during interrogation that they were former police informers, who picked up the police style of operation and techniques to track down robbers during that association. To gather information on robbers and their return home after a heist, the gang used informers from within the Kattu Naicker tribe, to which they belong. Clad in khaki pants and white shirts, the men will visit the houses of robbers in a Tata Sumo at midnight and confront them posing as ‘police’. After taking a robber to a secluded place, they will beat him up and threaten him with criminal cases if he did not part with the stolen valuables in his possession, a senior police officer said. Fearing ‘police action’, once the robber hands over his booty, the gang would scoot, police said.Anna Nagar Crime Inspector B Murugadasan said five special teams were searching for the gang leader, Puli from Palaganatham. The arrested, Arul Velu (28) and Prabu (17) of Palanganatham, Manikandan of Tirunelveli and Ranjith alias Ranjith Kumar (22) of Othakadai, were remanded in judicial custody.
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