In a broad daylight heist, unidentified thieves stole 110 sovereigns of gold and Rs. 4.5 lakh from a locked house under Koodal Pudur police station limits on Tuesday.
While the city police were gearing up for intensified patrolling in the night in view of New Moon Day (on Wednesday), the burglars are suspected to have daringly struck at the house during daytime (between noon and 9.30 p.m.), when the family members had gone to a hospital.
The police said that T. Meenambal (68) was living alone in the house in Pasupathi Nagar in Koodal Pudur. As the woman was unwell, her daughter, Angayarkanni, who also lives in the city, had come to assist her for the last few days.
Meanwhile, as the woman became very ill, Angayarkanni and her husband, M. Renganathan, had taken her to a hospital in K.K. Nagar by noon. The family members returned at around 9.30 p.m. to find the break-in.
The police said that burglars had broken open the lock of the grille gate and the front wooden door.
“The keys of the almirahs were left in a cupboard that came handy for the burglars,” a police officer said.
The engagement of one of the grandsons of Meenambal was recently held in the city for which all the four daughters of the woman had visited her. The daughters had left their gold jewellery, including those made of precious stones, at their mother’s place.
“The engagement happened on June 29. We suspect that someone who had knowledge of the presence of huge jewellery and cash could have targeted the house, making use of the absence of the inmates,” the officer said.
The burglars had emptied over 25 jewellery boxes and taken the valuables discarding the boxes. Forensic officials have lifted finger prints from the scene of crime. A sniffer dog that was deployed at the house ran up to the bus stand.
