Chennai, May 6 -- Four people have been arrested for allegedly stealing diamonds worth Rs.20 crore after assaulting a merchant inside a hotel in the city, police said, adding that the accused were chased from Chennai to Thoothukudi.

Police identified the accused as John Lloyd, Vijay, Ratheesh, and Arun Pandiarajan, aged between 24 and 34. All of them are residents of Chennai. They assaulted a diamond merchant, S Chandrasekar, inside a hotel room in Chennai.

"They first met him in his house. Later, the accused told the diamond merchant that the deal could be closed on May 4 at a hotel. They told him that they would give him cash for the diamonds. The diamond merchant realised that it was a trap only when he entered the hotel room. The fo...