The arrest of four suspicious persons near a pawning shop at Maradana led to the recovery of a gold chain worth more than Rs. 100,000 robbed from a house at Pugoda a few days back, police said.

An alert police mobile patrol, which initially spotted three men moving about suspiciously near a three-wheeler, questioned them and discovered that the trio was waiting for another person who had gone inside the pawning shop. Waiting for him to come out, the policemen pounced on him and found Rs. 70,000 in his possession.

It was then that the full story came to light. The four men belonged to a robber gang which had raided a house, attacked a woman and escaped with a gold chain. Not taking a chance of pawning it in the area they operated in, the notorious four-some had come to Maradana in a three-wheeler, police said.

It was while one member of the gang was pawning the chain for Rs. 70,000 that the police patrol moved in to question the three others who were hanging around outside nervously until the money was raised.

The four suspects were yesterday produced before Maligakanda Chief Magistrate Krishani Dodangoda and remanded till January 16, 2009.