Madurai Tanishq Jewellery Heist: Influencer Among Two Arrested, Main Accused Still At Large

Chennai: Police have arrested two people in connection with the theft of gold and diamond jewellery from a Tanishq showroom in Madurai. Among them is Instagram influencer Meenakshi, a close friend of the main accused, Nishanth. Police have also detained Nishanth’s father, Ashok, while Nishanth remains missing.
How Police Found The Link
At first, CCTV footage appeared to show only one masked person entering the showroom and leaving with the stolen items. But investigators later studied more footage and other evidence, which they say connected Meenakshi and Ashok to the case.
“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, ” a senior police officer told NDTV.
Stolen Ornaments Recovered
After Meenakshi was arrested, she reportedly told police where the jewellery had been hidden. Officers then recovered more than 5 kg of ornaments from an isolated location, where the accused had allegedly buried them.
The theft took place on the night of September 4. Around 10.5 kg of gold jewellery and 1 kg of diamond jewellery were stolen from the showroom.
Madurai City Police formed nine special teams to investigate. Officials said the showroom was newly opened and some construction work was still going on. They also identified certain security lapses at the store.
Meenakshi has more than one lakh followers on her personal Instagram account, where she shares technology-product reviews. She is also linked to techbossIndia, a page with one million followers. Nishanth has appeared in videos with her, posts travel content on a separate account and works as a video editor.
Police are still trying to locate and arrest Nishanth. Meenakshi and Ashok are expected to be produced before a magistrate.