A woman shopkeeper lost five sovereigns of gold to an unidentified person near Samathuvapuram near Usilampatti on Sunday. The police said that a 40-year-old man asked C. Avudaiyammal (43) for beedi around 7 p.m. when she was at the petty shop on Usilampatti-Peraiyur Road. When the woman turned back to take beedi, the man snatched the gold chain and fled in a two-wheeler waiting for him in the vicinity. Meanwhile, unidentified persons broke into the house of L.R. Govardan (62), at Palanimuthu Street in Avaniyapuram police station limits and decamped with some silver articles, LCD TV, laptop, camera and Rs. 20,000, when the inmates were away. In another case reported in Oomachikulam, unidentified persons broke into a locked house at Tiruppalai and decamped with over six sovereigns of gold.