In a daring robbery at a house in Kodambakkam, three men allegedly relieved a couple of gold jewellery and cash early on Thursday.
The suspects gained entry by forcing open the rear entry of the flat located on the ground floor of a building in Subramaniapuram Second Street. They tied up the man, Ramanan (48), manager in a stock broking firm, and his wife Loganayaki (40) before escaping with the booty.
According to police sources, Ramanan, his wife and two children were sleeping in the bedroom when he heard an unusual noise around 2.30 a.m. on Thursday. When he went to check, a man wearing a mask and holding an iron rod warned him not to raise alarm. Two others with their faces covered with towels entered the scene brandishing a knife and club.
Ramanan woke up his wife after the suspects asked for the almirah keys. On seeing the masked men with weapons in the bedroom, the terrified woman gave the keys. One of the accused persons snatched her six-sovereign chain. They then tied up the hands of Ramanan and his wife and locked them in the bathroom with a warning that they would kill the children if they raised an alarm.
A little later, Ramanan freed his wife and managed to force open the bathroom door. The robbers had escaped with a total of 12 sovereigns of jewellery and Rs.12,000 kept in the almirah. The children were asleep in the bedroom. “They disconnected the landline phone and took away my mobile phone and moped keys. With the help of a neighbour, I informed the Ashok Nagar police. In less than half-an-hour, police visited out house for investigation,” he said.
As the accused wore gloves, forensic experts could not find any fingerprints from the scene of crime. “They spoke in Tamil and kept us under constant fear…I was worried that they might attack us after committing the robbery,” Ramanan added.
Joint Commissioner of Police (South) K.P. Shanmuga Rajeswaran said investigators were working on some specific leads. Three special teams of the Ashok Nagar police were formed to investigate the case, he said.
Octogenarian robbed
An octogenarian was allegedly attacked and robbed of her gold chain by two women in Velachery on Thursday.
According to police sources, Baby Ammal (82) of Second Cross Street, Baby Nagar, was alone at home when two women came asking for drinking water around 3.30 p.m. As the woman went to the kitchen, they followed and attacked her. After Baby Ammal fell down, they snatched her two-sovereign chain and escaped from the scene.
Hours later, the victim's son who came from work saw her lying almost unconscious on the floor. He rushed her to a private hospital where first aid was administered. A special team of the Velachery police is investigating, the sources said.
