On Monday night, a jewellery store in Purasawalkam had a shock, when they found that a gold chain worth Rs. 2.8 lakh had been stolen from literally under their noses.
Police believe a woman who had come in on Saturday, had exchanged the chain with an exact duplicate that she was wearing.
According to police the theft took place around 8 p.m. on Saturday, at a popular store, near Abirami Cinemas. “A woman clad in a burqa entered the store under the pretext of buying some jewellery. She sat at a counter, and a salesperson showed her several gold chains. While pretending to examine them, she managed to exchange a chain weighing 10 sovereigns, with a duplicate that she was wearing. After a few minutes, she left the store,” said a police officer.
The incident was captured on CCTV cameras, but the shop’s staff did not find out about the theft until Monday, when they were examining some pieces.
Police said the woman had probably visited the store earlier, examined the chain, and then come back on Saturday, having had a copy of it made.
“We are examining the CCTV footage from the showroom and will soon zero in on the woman,” a police officer said. He added that they were checking to see if similar thefts had been committed with the same modus operandi.
Secretariat Colony police have registered a case.
