A gang of robbers, armed with knives and wooden logs, struck at three houses located close to Chekkanoorani police station during the small hours of Wednesday and made away with more than 21 sovereigns of gold and cash after assaulting the occupants.
The robbers entered the houses by breaking open the main door lock.
The police said S. Kala (42), her son Sivanesan (19) and daughter S. Lavanya (23) were assaulted by the gang for refusing to part with the keys of the almirah.
While Sivanesan and his mother sustained serious head injuries, Lavanya who came to their rescue was attacked and robbed of her gold ‘thali’ and a two-sovereign chain. In the melee, she sustained an injury on her neck.
After committing the crime at their house, three of the gang members barged into the adjoining house situated in the same compound and robbed the resident, Malarvizhi (38) of her gold jewels and Rs.8,000 in cash. Even as they managed to steal gold ornaments in two houses, they could not find any valuables in the third house.
According to Lavanya, the incident occurred at around 12.30 a.m. when the three were asleep in the house. As many as five masked men broke open the front door and forced their way into the house. When they confronted the family members, they attacked Kala and Sivanesan with logs and sticks.
“Later, they locked us in a room and three of them moved on to the next house,” she said.
A few locals, who heard the cries of the victims, alerted the police. Before the police arrived there, the gang fled the spot. The injured were taken to a private hospital in Chekkanoorani from where they were referred to Government Rajaji Hospital here.
When contacted, K. Saravana Kumar, Deputy Superintendent of Police, Usilampatti, said, “Special teams have been formed to nab the culprits. Masked men robbing people after assaulting them was reported in Chekkanoorani for the first time in the recent times.”
The Chekkanoorani police have registered a case.
Superintendent of Police Vijayendra S Bidari said since the robbers had gained entry into the houses from the rear side, that too in darkness, the police on night patrol did not notice them.
