Puliyangudi police are on the lookout for four robbers, who attacked and robbed a progressive organic farmer and his wife on Thursday midnight.
Police said the four robbers, who entered the farmhouse of Antonysamy (72) of Chinthamani near Puliyangudi after breaking open the main door around 2 a.m., attacked him with clubs. With bleeding injuries on the head, he swooned on the spot.
They also attacked his wife Lourdhu Mary and snatched her gold chain weighing 15 sovereigns.
When Mr. Antonysamy screamed for help, his farm workers living in four houses nearby could not come to his rescue as the robbers had locked the houses from outside.
After searching for cash and other valuables in the chest, they escaped with the booty.
The matter came to light only after Mrs. Lourdhu Mary came out of the house and alerted the workers.
Mr. Antonysamy, who has been successfully practising organic farming for the past several decades, is growing lemon, sugarcane, mango, gooseberry, paddy etc. in his sprawling ranches having an extent of a few hundred acres on the foothills of the Western Ghats and has bagged a national award for inventing a drought-resistant lemon variety.
Students of agriculture and officials used to visit his farm to study his water management practices.
Since Mr. Antonysamy, who is undergoing treatment in a hospital at Puliyangudi, is unable to respond to the questions of the police, they could not ascertain the exact amount of cash robbed. Puliyangudi DSP Vaanumamalai visited the spot and formed a special team to nab the robbers.
