A doctor living alone had the scare of her life when two men broke into her house at Athani, within the Chengamanad police station limits, and made away with gold and diamond ornaments and cash worth ₹16.44 lakh in the early hours of Saturday.
Gracy Mathew, 55, medical officer at the Chengamanad community health centre, had to remain a mute witness when the two men rummaged through her possessions kept in a steel almirah and stole gold ornaments worth 57 sovereigns, a diamond necklace worth ₹1.50 lakh and ₹79,000.
She lives in the house alone as her husband is away in the United States, while her son, a Navy doctor, is in Mumbai. Initially, she claimed to have lost 300 sovereigns of gold ornaments before it was scaled down to 57 sovereigns, a disparity, which the police feel may have been caused by shock.
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“According to the her, there were two persons whom she heard conversing in Malayalam. There had been no theft attempts at any other house in the locality. Probably, the miscreants involved had prior knowledge that she was staying alone and hence targeted the house,” said A.K.K. Sudheer, Station House Officer, Chengamanad.
The miscreants reportedly went through the rooms in the ground and first floors before barging into her bedroom. She was threatened with physical harm if she created any trouble. The miscreants forced her to give up her gold bangles and ring before making away with the rest of the valuables from the almirah.
As soon as they left with the stolen items wrapped up in a shawl, the doctor rang up the police who rushed to the spot around 2.45 a.m. They immediately combed the area but could not find anyone.
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Later in the day, scientific and fingerprint experts examined the scene and collected evidence. The dog squad trailed the scent up to a vacant plot before stopping in its tracks.
The police have registered a case invoking IPC Sections (lurking house-trespass or house-breaking by night), 394 (voluntarily causing hurt in committing robbery), 461 (dishonestly breaking open receptacle containing property), and 34 (acts done by several persons in furtherance of common intention).