Three persons, including the victims’ former car driver, have been detained in connection with the attack on an elderly couple and robbery of 111 sovereigns and over Rs. 20,000 in Rajamangalam on Friday afternoon.
Investigators are examining footage recorded by two CCTV cameras installed in a nearby building and the hunt is on for the fourth suspect.
The police said the robbery took place around 2 p.m. at the residence of Bakthavatchalam (71), a retired professor from a college in Kadappa, Andhra Pradesh, and his wife, Nirmala Devi (62), in Jayanthi Nagar, Rajamangalam. Four armed men entered the house and attacked the couple with knives and sickles. They took the gold and cash and fled. Neighbours came to the aid of the injured couple and rushed them to a nearby private hospital in Aminjikarai, where they are said to be out of danger.
The Rajamangalam police registered a case and a special team probing the matter tracked the three suspects to a location near Erode, early on Saturday. One of them is suspected to have escaped with a portion of the stolen valuables. While police have not divulged the identities of the trio, sources have said the prime suspect is Raghuram, who was dismissed from work at the couple’s house more than a month ago.
“We have obtained the footage and it shows Raghuram near the house, twice on Friday afternoon. Minutes later, the gang enters the house and later flees in a waiting car,” said an investigating officer.
DMK leader and Kolathur MLA M.K. Stalin visited the couple at the hospital on Saturday afternoon, sources said.
