NAGAPATTINAM: Gold jewellery estimated to be worth Rs 1.6 crore, pledged to a Primary Agriculture Cooperative Society (PACS) by farmers in Sirkazhi taluk of the district, withstood a break-in attempt of burglars during the wee hours on Sunday, thanks to the iron-safe that it was kept in. The burglars continue to be at large.
The robbers abandoned their plans after they failed to open the safe.
The police on being informed a vehicle inspection team of Sirkazhi Police on Sirkazhi bypass road tried to intercept the auto in which they were fleeing. However, seeing the police vehicle, the burglars abandoned their vehicle, their masks and robes and fled the scene.
The PACS, functioning at Pazhayapalayam village in Sirkazhi taluk, has more than 2,450 farmers as customers and have about 740 sovereigns of gold jewellery pledged at the branch. The branch is said to have installed a burglar alarm and employed a security guard to man the premises.
However, around 1 am, a three-member masked gang stormed in and tied up the security guard Ramadoss (47) at knife-point. The gang then used gas cutters to open the metal grills and also severed the alarm bell connection. However, the burglars had to drop their plans after repeated attempts to cut open the iron safe failed.
Ramadoss, meanwhile, managed to free himself from the bonds that the burglars had tied him, with the help of some locals and alerted the police.
Police soon launched a search by bringing in a police force from Sirkazhi, Pudhupattinam and Thiruvenkadu police stations.
During the police vehicle check, a police team lead by Sirkazhi DSP Venkatesan spotted the auto in which the burglars were fleeing, but before they could round them up, the burglars abandoned the auto and fled.