About five to 10 kilos of gold ornaments and cash of Rs.3 lakh were said to be stolen from a shop located on North Cotton road in Tuticorin town on Thursday, according to sources. The robbery occurred in the busy bazaar and police learned of the incident after a pedestrian, who noticed the slightly opened shutter around 7 a.m., alerted them. However, a complaint is yet to be lodged.
A team involving Additional Superintendent of Police, M. Sundara Rajan along with Deputy Superintendent of Police, P. Kandasami, District Crime Records Bureau, reached the spot and held inquiries with people in the vicinity of the incident. The proprietor was verifying the invoice to check stocks maintained in the shop, the ADSP said. Video surveillance cameras installed inside the shop provided a vital clue to the investigating police.
Mr. Kandasami said there was no damage or break in entry through the door of the shop and the thief is suspected to have used bogus key to enter. Two cameras at the shop captured the robbery inside, but not the get away. The CCTV footage, which was recovered, timed between 2.13 a.m. and 3.40 a.m., showed clear image of the robber (fair complexion) holding torch in his mouth and walking up to the jewel stands and to the cash box. The miscreant, who engineered the robbery, rolled down with gunnysack and gained entry after slightly opening up the shutter, Mr. Kandasami informed. Finger prints were also found in the crime scene. The police suspected that the robber is a known depredator and hoped the culprit would be nabbed soon.
