A five-member gang, armed with sickles, robbed three jewellery merchants of 100 sovereigns of gold jewellery and two kg of silver articles at Abiramam near Kamuthi on Saturday night.
Police said Balasundar (38), his brother Mahalingam (36), owning Kanna jewellery shop in Kamuthi, along with their family member Jayakumar, were returning from Madurai in a car after purchasing gold jewellery and silver articles, when the gang, following them in a maxi cab, intercepted their car and robbed them. The robbers intercepted the car around 11 p.m. and picked a wordy duel for not giving way for overtaking. As they were arguing, two of them brandished sickles and got inside the car after pushing down the driver, stating that they would go to Abiramam police station and settle the issue.
As they drove past the police station, the jewellery merchants raised an alarm, after which, the robbers pushed them down before escaping with the booty, even as their associates followed them in the maxi cab and on two-wheelers, the police said.
As they were proceeding towards Pasumpon, the car crashed into a roadside bridge and they escaped after abandoning the vehicle, they said, adding the robbers left behind about 6 kg of silver articles in their car.
The incident was reported to the police 45 minutes later as the merchants, whose mobile phones were taken away by the robbers, walked back for about two km to Abiramam police station.
Immediately, Superintendent of Police N.M. Mylvahanan alerted the police in the entire district, but the robbers could not be nabbed. When contacted, the SP said the robbery seemed to have taken place with some insiders’ knowledge. “We have got some clues and will crack the case soon,” he told The Hindu . The brothers visited Madurai every Saturday for purchasing jewellery, he said.
Two special teams, one headed by the Additional Superintendent of Police, Kamuthi, and the other by the Deputy Superintendent of Police, Paramakudi, have been formed to nab the robbers. Samples were taken from blood stains found in the car for forensic analysis, the SP said, adding portraits of the robbers were also being developed. All the three mobile phones taken from the merchants remained switched off, he added.
