A gang of robbers with their faces masked broke into a house in the heart of the city early on Friday morning and stole five sovereigns of gold from an elderly couple at knife point.
The incident, which took place at the house of industrialist Babu Moopan’s wife at Pulleppady Crossroad near Lissie Junction at 3.30 a.m., sent shock waves in the area.
According to preliminary reports, a four-member gang gained entry into the house by cutting through the window bars of the front room.
They attacked the couple, Muhammed Ismail, 74, and his wife, before tying them up, leaving them to nurse a fractured finger. The robbers took away a gold chain of two sovereigns and a couple of gold bangles of one-and-a-half sovereigns each from the terrorised couple.
Their screams for help woke up the driver who was sleeping on the terrace. Though he rushed down, he was scared away by the knife-brandishing gang. He eventually shut himself down in a room.
Mr. Ismail’s daughter-in-law and her three children were upstairs at the time of the incident. Though she came down, she too was terrified by the robbers and locked herself up in a room.
The gang members are reported to have been caught on a CCTV camera in the vicinity.
The footage showed four persons entering the house, with a few others waiting outside. They left the premises around 4.30 a.m.
The police suspect that the gang possessed a gun, as a bullet was recovered from the house. A special squad has been formed to investigate the incident. The North police have registered a case under IPC Section 390 (robbery).
Inspector General of Police P. Vijayan and City Police Commissioner M.P. Dinesh visited the crime scene.
