Burglars rob 70-year-old woman of gold jewellery, ₹30,000 in cash near Tiruttani

Chennai: Armed and masked, four men broke into a 70-year-old woman’s house near Tiruttani, tied her up and escaped with 6.5 sovereigns of gold jewellery, silver articles and 30,000 in cash in the early hours of Thursday.Police said the men entered through the back door of the house located in Ellappa Naidu Pettai Pudur, along the Chennai-Tirupati National Highway near Tiruttani, Tiruvallur districtThey carried knives and threatened to the kill the woman, Suguna, if she raised the alarm, said police. They tied her hands behind her back and snatched any gold jewellery she was wearing before getting their hands on 1kg of silver articles and ₹30,000 in cash.Once the burglars left, Suguna, whose son and daughter live abroad in Hong Kong and the United States, reached out to her neighbours for help.The Thiruvalangadu police registered a case and launched a search for the masked men. They suspect the gang to have arrived on two motorcycles. Investigators said habitual offenders from neighbouring states may have been involved as similar crimes have been reported in nearby areas.

Two days ago, sources said, masked robbers threatened a woman at knifepoint and snatched her gold mangalsutra in a nearby locality under the limits of the Thiruvalangadu police station. In another incident, silver articles were reportedly stolen from a teacher’s house when the occupants were away.Residents claimed that inadequate police patrolling and vehicle checks have led to a rise in such incidents. They said miscreants often identify vulnerable or isolated houses and target them at night.