The Coimbatore City Police have arrested three members of an Iranian gang that was involved in street thefts using attention diversion tactics in many States.
A. Gurbanik, 27, M. Barith, 25, alias Mohammad Barith and Yashim Ali, 57, were arrested by a special team of the city police from Nagpur on Wednesday. The gang, headed by one Saleem Ali, had been operating out of Nagpur, posing as migrant workers.
The police identified the accused during the investigation of a theft reported on Telugu Street in Coimbatore on September 12. The four men used attention diversion tactics on the pretext of reciting mantras and cheated a gold smithery worker of 59 grams of unpolished gold ornaments.
The police examined visuals from more than 200 surveillance cameras in the city and along highways to trace the accused to Nagpur.
While the three arrested were brought to Coimbatore and sent to judicial remand, the police are on the lookout for their leader Ali.
Published – October 03, 2025 10:40 pm IST
