Coimbatore city police on Tuesday arrested three men from Nagpur, Maharashtra, for stealing 80 grams of gold ornaments by impersonating astrologers.
The suspects — M Mohammed Barith (25), A Gurbanik (27), and M Yashim Ali (57) — all hail from Yerkheda village near Nagpur. The trio tricked a jewellery shop worker into handing over the ornaments and fled the scene.
According to police, Sanjay Mithya (37), who runs a jewellery shop on Telugu Street in Coimbatore, had sent his employee, Subhomangshi, to collect polished ornaments from a nearby workshop on September 13.
As Subhomangshi returned with the gold, the gang intercepted him. Claiming to be astrologers, they told him they could solve his family’s problems through a ritual. They instructed him to place all his belongings into a bag they provided.
Trusting them, Subhomangshi placed the 80 grams of gold into the bag. The gang asked him to walk a few steps and return — but by the time he turned back, they had vanished with the gold.
The victim informed his employer, who immediately filed a complaint with the Variety Hall police. A case was registered, and a special team was formed to track the culprits.
Investigation revealed that the gang had traveled from Nagpur by car, which they parked in a private hospital lot near Saibaba Colony. They used an autorickshaw to reach the crime scene and later returned to their car.
CCTV footage confirmed their route back to Nagpur. The police team then traveled to Nagpur, surveilled the suspects for a few days, and arrested them. The trio was produced in a local court, brought to Coimbatore, and remanded in judicial custody.
