Over 50 sovereigns of gold and Rs. 5 lakh in cash were burgled from a house in Vivekananda Nagar under Dindigul North police station limits. The police said that the house owner did not bother to inform the police about the “locked door” despite having reminded about it twice in the past.
Sundara (45), the landlady, had gone to Chennai on June 16 for a work related to her daughter’s education and returned home on Saturday to find that the valuables were burgled. The police said that the culprits had gained entry into the house by breaking open the lock of the iron grille and the wooden door in the rear. “Though there was an iron cross bar provided for the door, the family members had failed to use it which could have prevented an easy access for the culprits,” the Inspector of Police, Dindigul North, R. Paravasudevan, said.
Besides, they had left a bunch of keys of a locked bedroom and a locked almirah in the other bedroom that was left unlocked.
This has made the job of the burglars easy as they managed to open the bedroom and the almirah without much effort and risk.
They laid hand on the jewels kept in a cloth bag and the cash in another bag inside the almirah.
The police said that police constables on regular beat had noticed that the house was continuously locked for several days between September 2014 and March 2015. “The police had called the woman, who was staying in Namakkal in connection with her daughter’s education, and advised her to inform the police, if she left the house locked for several days,” the Inspector said.
Even after she returned, the police met her and explained the need to use the locked door register in the police station. However, the family members who left for Chennai on June 16 did not report their absence to the police, he said.
“Otherwise, our police men could have given a special attention on the house during their regular patrols,” he said.
Fingerprints were lifted from the scene of crime. The police also deployed sniffer dog there.
The police suspect that someone familiar with the family members’ movement and their practices could have meticulously planned the burglary.
