A jewellery store staff went missing with 417 sovereigns of gold jewels from the shop at Purasawalkam here on Monday.
Police said, the incident came to light at Kerala Jewellery on Purasawalkam High Road when the jewellery shop management took stock of the available jewels. They were shocked to find that 417 sovereigns were missing without any record of them having been sold. Meanwhile, one of the employees who left work on Saturday did not turn up for duty on Sunday. He could not be reached through his mobile as well arousing suspicion. He was absent for work on Monday as well.
Sibi Joseph, the proprietor of Kerala Jewllery, lodged a complaint with the Kilpauk Police against Baskar, the missing employee. Cops searched for the accused at his residence, but could not locate him. A case was registered and investigations were on.
Co Directors Held
Sleuths of Economic Offences Wing arrested two directors of a financial institution in Nandanam after they received complaints of cheating and swindling over `2 crore.
Police said they arrested P Venkatachalam and wife Meenachi Venkatachalam, who ran Global Business Associates Financial and Investment in CIT Nagar East, Nandanam and received deposits from people across the State in 2010 and 2011. The company promised 18 per cent interest and attractive prizes.
EOW officials said many daily wage labourers from Arupukottai, Virudhunagar, Ramanathapuram, Kamudhi and Rajapalayam had deposited their meager earnings with the company. But, after receiving the deposits, Venkatachalam and the partners of the company allegedly went absconding in September 2011.
EOW sleuths registered a case under IPC Sections 409, 420 and 5 of TNPID Act in Virudhunagar and transferred it to Chennai following which the directors were arrested. The investigating officials requested affected persons to lodge complaints in person with G Lawrence, Inspector of Police, EOW II, Headquarters, No C 48, Second Avenue, TNHB Building, Anna Nagar, Phone: 9444462080.
“So far we have received about 54 complaints. We expect it to cross 100. They had employed some agents locally and had collected the deposits. Most of the depositors are from South Tamil Nadu and it would be only 20 per cent from Chennai,” a police official said.
Lightning Kills Ryot
In a freak accident, a 40-year-old farmer from Rallapadi village near Periyapalayam died after being struck by lightning on Monday evening.
Police said Kumaravel was hit by lightning as he was spreading a tarpaulin on his field as he feared it would rain after the sky became overcast on Monday. He was killed on the spot.