TIRUNELVELI: A Kerala native was arrested by the Tirunelveli city police for allegedly stealing Rs 25 lakh cash and 51 sovereigns of gold ornaments from a village administrative officer's (VAO) house here. Sources said the police recovered a portion of the gold ornaments from the accused persons on Sunday.
The theft occurred at the residence of VAO Anthony Thangaraj (47) in Pettai on November 6, while the officer and his wife Sengol Mary (43), a nurse at Tirunelveli Medical College Hospital, had left for work after sending their children to school. The accused persons broke into the house and stole the ornaments and cash stored in a locker, sources said.
Acting on a complaint filed by Thangaraj, a team led by Deputy Commissioner of Police Geetha launched a probe and examined the CCTV footage of the area. They identified two suspects, and further investigation revealed that they hail from Kerala. Acting on a tip-off, one of the accused was apprehended from Kerala, while his accomplice managed to escape.
Meanwhile, the police recovered 28 sovereigns of gold ornaments from the arrested man, and efforts are under way to apprehend the other.