Three burglars were arrested by Sathuvachari police for stealing 45 sovereigns of gold jewellery, silver objects and ₹1.6 lakh cash from the house of a government doctor on Sunday.  

The police said that the arrested persons were identified as K. Murugan, 44, a resident of Old Pallavaram near Chennai, R. Baskar, 50, a native of Usilampatti town (Madurai), and B. Kanagavel, 49, a resident of Vellore.

Initial inquiry revealed that the trio was acquainted with each other when they were in prison on theft charges.

The police said that Kanagavel, an autorickshaw driver, used to make note of locked houses during his trips. In the night, the gang stole valuables in identified houses.

In the present case, M. AmbikaM, 70, had gone to meet her son in Chengalpattu when she got a call from her tenant saying that the main door of the house was broken. On her return, she found valuables and cash missing.

Based on a complaint, a case was registered. Special teams analysed CCTV camera footage in the area and tracked mobile phone signals. The team nabbed the suspects from their hideout in Vellore. The gang was lodged at Central Prison in Vellore. The police also recovered lost jewellery from the gang. A probe is under way.