Gang decamps with Rs 1.5 crore gold from car
In what appeared to be a well-planned strike, thieves allegedly took off with about 5 kg gold jewellery from the car of a jewellery shop owner at T Nagar on Friday night. M Mahesh Kumar (38), who lives in an apartment at Duraisamy Road, had briefly stepped out of the car to open the gates of the apartment complex, without locking his car when unidentified persons stole the bag containing the jewellery.
Police said Kumar always carried all the jewellery from his shop, Navaratna Jewellers in Sowcarpet, to his apartment after closing the shop. The thieves perhaps had knowledge of this. They watched his movements closely before striking.
“The main gate was locked from inside. So he came out of the car and entered the compound through a small gate nearby to open the main gate. Within that short span of time, the robbers struck,” said a relative of Kumar.
“It happened around 10.50 pm on Friday night. There was no insurance cover too for the stolen jewels,” Kumar said. The police said Kumar had a set pattern, which he followed everyday, making him vulnerable. “Besides, he had not locked the door of the car after getting down to open the gates. That was why thieves easily opened the car door and stole the bag. So far we have not made any arrests,” said Deputy Commissioner P Pakalavan. Moreover, windowpanes of the car were open, the police said.
“We suspect that the persons escaped in a motorbike after getting hold of the jewellery bag. There were reasons to suspect the involvement of insiders. Most of the jewellery shops have a locker in the shop where they store the jewellery at the end of the day. The thieves knew Kumar’s shop did not have a locker,” police said.
The stolen gold jewels were estimated to be worth Rs 1.5 crore. Special teams have been formed to crack the case.