Special teams have been constituted by the Superintendent of Police, Coimbatore Rural District, to probe a case of dacoity reported from Elachipalayam in Karumathampatty police limits late on Thursday night.
According to the police, a group of eight men, seven of them wearing jeans and T-shirts entered the house of Kaliappan (45). Kaliappan and his wife Sivakami (35) were watching television when the dacoity took place. The gang members, armed with a knife, sickle and iron rod and who spoke in a Tamil dialect of southern Tamil Nadu gagged the inmates and tied them up before decamping with Rs. 20,000 and seven sovereigns of gold chain and ear studs.
It is learnt that Kaliappan had sold half-an-acre out of the 3 acres of land that belonged to him recently. He had the sale proceeds of Rs. 45 lakh and another Rs. 10 lakh with him.
Police sources said that the gang had knowledge of the sale of land and receipt of the money. Kaliappan had, just before the dacoity, shared the sale proceeds with his siblings and had only some cash left at home.
Vital clues
Pursuing vital clues, the police teams have fanned out in different directions including to Madurai. Police were confident of a breakthrough within a couple of days, sources said.