In a major heist, robbers struck at the Primary Agricultural Cooperative Credit Society (PACCS) at Thoruvalur near here and decamped with 412 sovereigns of gold jewellery after threatening the woman secretary of the society and gagging her.
Police said that two persons, who visited the society on Wednesday afternoon on the pretext of pledging jewellery, looted 412 sovereigns of jewellery, kept in 44 pockets in a safe after getting the keys from the secretary, N. Kasthuri (45), and ensuring that the society had no CCTV cameras.
The secretary was alone in the office at that time and the robbers after making some enquiries about jewel loan, threatened her to switch off the alarm system after she said there was no CCTV cameras.
Then they gagged her and tied her hands and legs with adhesive tape before taking away the booty.
The robbery came to light late in the evening after the villagers noticed that the society building remained open even after office hours and heard some unusual noise from inside.
After finding Ms. Kasthuri lying in the strongroom with her mouth gagged, they alerted the police.
The police pressed into service a sniffer dog and fingerprint experts. Verification of the register at the society revealed that the robbers had looted 3,297.210 gm of gold jewellery, valued at Rs. 65.24 lakh.
Local farmers and general public pledged the jewellery for raising short-term loans and the society had advanced loans to the tune of Rs. 48.26 lakh for the pledged jewellery, the police said.
Superintendent of Police N. Manivannan, accompanied by Assistant Superintendent of Police S. Sarvesh Raj and Additional Superintendent of Police Inbamani, visited the spot and conducted preliminary enquiry with Ms. Kasthuri. “We are trying to get some clues and we will crack the case at the earliest,” the SP told The Hindu .
The society had no watchman or CCTV cameras. Though the police had warned the officials to install CCTV cameras in all the 121 PACCS last year itself after reviewing security arrangements in banks and jewellery shops, cameras were not installed in a majority of the societies.
