An unidentified gang hurled chilly powder at two merchants from Kerala and decamped with gold ornaments weighing around five kilograms in the early hours of Wednesday.
Police said that Vinod (32) and Jobi (47) of Trichur arrived here at 5 a.m. by an omni-bus and got down at Periyar bus stand. They were walking towards a lodge in Sunnambu Kara Street when four persons stepped out of an autorickshaw parked nearby and hurled chilly powder at them, and attempted to rob them of jewellery contained in a bag.
When Jobi and Vinod reportedly resisted, the gang assaulted them and made off with the jewels. The assailants left the scene in a car parked on West Vadambokki Street. The victims informed the Thideer Nagar police.
DCP (law and order) R. Thirunavukarasu, DCP (crime) Feroze Khan Abdullah and other officers visited the spot.
A sniffer dog was brought to the scene. The auto rickshaw, in which the gang was hiding and later abandoned, was examined by a team of forensic experts. Thideer Nagar police have registered a case of robbery.
The complainant, Vinod, said that he had been visiting Madurai for the last five years and sold jewellery made in Kerala to bullion merchants here.
“I come here regularly and stay in a private lodge. I was shocked at the murderous attempt made on me by the gang. I hope the police will trace the jewels worth around Rs one crore,” he added.
When contacted, Inspector General and Commissioner of Police Sanjay Mathur told The Hindu that some leads were available. Based on the inputs gathered from the complainant, a team has rushed to Trichur.
It is suspected that persons who were aware of the movements of the bullion merchants are responsible for the crime.
“I am personally monitoring the progress made by the team members and hope to recover the stolen jewels,” he said.
Meanwhile, the city police conducted random checks in lodges and a put check-posts on alert.
