CHENNAI: Unaware that the earrings on her were imitation jewellery, an unidentified man entered the house of a 70-year-old woman at Perumpedu near Ponneri on Friday night and cut off her earlobes to make away with the covering earrings.
Police identified the victim as Lakshmi, who lived alone in a hut near the houses of her three children — two sons and a daughter — in Mathiravedu. Her husband Gurusamy died five years ago, and her family depends on farming a small piece of land near the village.
According to the police, Lakshmi was sleeping with the house door left open for ventilation when the intruder entered the house around midnight.
The man initially attempted to remove the earrings by hand, believing they were made of gold. However, in the darkness, Lakshmi sensed that something was happening and was about to wake up.
In order to save himself time, the man allegedly cut off both her earlobes and fled with the earrings, the police added.
As Lakshmi raised an alarm, neighbours and relatives rushed to the house and found her in pain, bleeding from both ears. She was admitted to the Ponneri government hospital, sources said.
Meanwhile, the Ponneri police visited the scene of crime and launched an investigation.
The police registered a case over the act of forcibly removing the earrings and formed a team to trace the suspect. CCTV footage from nearby areas is being examined and inquiries are under way among local residents.