The CMBT police have arrested four persons, including a history-sheeter, for allegedly assaulting and robbing a software engineer of his laptop and mobile phones near Arumbakkam.The accused were identified as Vignesh alias “Pallu” Vicky, 30, of Mangadu, Thirupathi, a college student, and his associates Gautham and Sanjay Kumar.The Police said the victim, Shyam Dhan Ghoshal, 30, a native of West Bengal, was staying at a hostel in Vadapalani while working at a software company in Pudupet.On May 5, after completing his work, Shyam visited a hotel in Egmore where he consumed alcohol. Later that night, he booked a bike taxi to return to his hostel.The police said Shyam alighted from the bike near 100-Feet Road in Arumbakkam and was walking towards his hostel in an intoxicated state when the incident occurred. At that time, four men travelling on two motorcycles intercepted him, assaulted him and threatened him with a knife before escaping with a laptop kept in his bag and two expensive mobile phones, including an iPhone. After recovering from the shock, Shyam realised his belongings had been stolen and lodged a complaint with the CMBT police. After checking CCTV footage from the locality, the police identified Vignesh alias “Pallu” Vicky and his associates. A special police team later tracked down and arrested the four accused. Further inquiries revealed that Vignesh was a history-sheeter with 58 pending robbery and chain-snatching cases registered against him at various police stations. Published - May 27, 2026 12:32 am IST