Madurai Tanishq heist: Influencer, accused’s father arrested; 5 kg gold recovered

Madurai City Police have arrested an Instagram influencer and the father of the prime accused in connection with the theft of gold and diamond jewellery worth approximately Rs 15 crore from a Tanishq showroom. The arrests follow the recovery of more than 5 kg of stolen jewellery, while the main accused, Nishanth, continues to remain absconding.

The robbery happened on the night of November 11, when a lone masked person broke into the newly inaugurated Tanishq outlet on Madurai Bypass Road and stole as much as 10.5 kg of gold jewellery and around 1 kg of diamond jewellery.

The arrested persons have been identified as Meenakshi, an Instagram influencer and close associate of Nishanth, and Nishanth’s father, Ashok.

Deputy Commissioner of Police (South) AG Inigo Divyan confirmed the arrests. “Madurai City Police have arrested two individuals, identified as Ashok and an Instagram influencer named Meenakshi, in connection with the multi-crore gold and diamond jewellery robbery at the Tanishq Jewellery showroom on Madurai Bypass Road. Ashok is the father of accused Nishanth,” he said.

A senior Madurai City Police officer told NDTV that Nishanth had allegedly planned the robbery after visiting the jewellery showroom several times. Meenakshi was allegedly aware of where the stolen jewellery had been concealed.

“Nishanth planned the heist after visiting the jewellery showroom multiple times. His close friend Meenakshi, an Instagram influencer, and his father Ashok also have connections to the case. Meenakshi was aware of where the stolen jewels were hidden. We are tracing Nishanth, who is absconding,” the officer said.

Following Meenakshi’s arrest, police reportedly recovered more than 5 kg of jewellery from an isolated location where the ornaments had allegedly been buried and concealed.

Nishanth’s father allegedly helped transport the stolen jewellery after the robbery, while Meenakshi allegedly provided her two-wheeler to facilitate the crime. Both arrested accused reportedly confessed to their involvement during questioning and cited financial difficulties as the reason behind the alleged robbery.

Meenakshi has allegedly accused Nishanth of masterminding the robbery. However, investigators are reportedly treating her claims with caution until the prime accused is apprehended and questioned.

Police deployed special teams to trace those involved in the robbery and examined CCTV footage, forensic evidence and the movements of people who had recently visited the showroom. The investigating team reportedly identified a tattoo on Nishanth’s body as a crucial clue in tracking him.

The robbery came to light after showroom employees discovered that jewellery was missing when they arrived for work on the morning of November 12. A masked person was suspected to have entered the premises through an opening near the lift shaft, where installation work was underway.

Investigators were examining possible security lapses and the involvement of people familiar with the showroom, including former employees and construction workers.