Man arrested for Kolathur house burglary, jewellery worth ₹4 lakh recovered

The Rajamangalam Crime Wing Police on Wednesday arrested a 22-year-old man for allegedly breaking into a locked house in Kolathur, Chennai, and stealing gold jewellery and other valuables. The burglary took place between May 26 and May 31 while the homeowner was away. Following the arrest, the police recovered two gold chains worth ₹4 lakh and seized the two-wheeler used during the crime.

The complainant, 48-year-old G. Muthusubramani, is a railway technician working in Andhra Pradesh. On May 26, Muthusubramani locked his residence in Kolathur and travelled to his sister's house in Thiruvottiyur along with his wife, children, and father.

When the family returned to their Kolathur home on May 31, they discovered that the front door lock had been broken. Inside, two wardrobes had been forced open. Muthusubramani reported that six sovereigns of gold jewellery, including chains, earrings, ear-chain ornaments, and nose studs, along with several brass articles, had been stolen from the house.

Following the complaint, the Rajamangalam Crime Wing Police registered a case and initiated an investigation. Officers scanned and analysed CCTV footage from the surrounding neighbourhood to identify the suspect.

The investigation led to the arrest of the suspect, identified as Sanjay alias Karthik, 22, a resident of Kolathur, on Wednesday. According to the police, Sanjay had ridden to the victim's house on a scooter, broke open the locks, and fled with the valuables.

During police interrogation, Sanjay confessed that he had sold the stolen jewellery. He used a portion of the proceeds to purchase two new gold chains and spent the remaining cash.

The police managed to recover the two newly purchased gold chains, weighing three sovereigns and valued at ₹4 lakh. They also seized the scooter used to commit the offence.

Further inquiries by the police revealed that Sanjay had one previous criminal case registered against him. He was produced before a local court on Wednesday and subsequently remanded in judicial custody.