CHENNAI: A 40-year-old woman, who was hired to take care of an elderly woman, along with her husband, gagged the elderly and tied her hands and legs, before decamping with gold ornaments and cash from a house at Sri Ayyappa Nagar in Virugambakkam on Monday. Police nabbed the couple and recovered the stolen valuables from them the following day.
S Shaidha (45) of Shenoy Nagar recently hired the services of S Shajin (40) through a private company to take care of her mother A Ayisha Sultana (73) who is residing alone at the house in Sri Ayyappa Nagar. Accordingly, Shajin joined the work on November 10.
“On Monday afternoon, Shaidha received a phone call from one of her mother’s neighbours, who told her that Sultana was found at the house with her hands and legs tied. Though she was also gagged, the elderly woman managed to remove the cloth placed in her mouth and began to scream. Hearing the cries, the neighbours rushed to her rescue,” police sources said.
The police said that Shajin’s husband S Siddique Ali (40) visited his wife at the house on Monday afternoon. “The couple threatened to kill Sultana and coerced her into telling them where the valuables were stored. The couple tied the woman’s hands and decamped with gold jewellery, Rs 4,000 cash and two mobile phones,” they added. Koyambedu police registered a case and launched a special team to nab the couple.
After combing through CCTV footage from the area, the police zeroed in on the couple on Tuesday. “Shajin has three cheating cases pending against her, while Siddique has two criminal cases pending against him,” the police said and appealed to the public not to hire people to help the elderly without first checking their criminal history with the police.
Plumber steals bathroom fittings worth Rs 20k from Army Quarters, arrested
A 29-year-old man was arrested by the Fort police for allegedly stealing bathroom fittings worth around Rs 20,000 from a house at the Army Quarters in the area on Sunday. Police identified the suspect as Sabeer, a plumber. On Sunday, Sabeer was carrying bathroom fittings from an Army Quarters, when he was intercepted by a security guard. During questioning, the guard understood that the man was stealing the items. Upon information, police rushed to the spot and arrested him. He has been remanded in judicial custody.