CHENNAI: Like a scene straight out of the Surya-Starrer Nandha, burglars broke into the residence of a private engineering college bursar in broad day light and decamped with valuables and household appliances in Choolaimedu on Thursday.
Neighbours witnessed the robbers carrying electrical appliances and gadgets. The family has reported loss of 40 sovereign gold jewellery and silver articles. The incident took place at 3rd floor Apartment in Navin’s South Terrace on Vanniyar Street when the inmates Raghu, the college staff, and his wife Hari Priya were away attending the marriage of their nephew, between 11.30 am and 2 pm.
The daylight burglary took place even as a group of casual labourers white washing the residential complex and others mistook the noise generated by the power tools used by the burglars to some electrical work going on in that flat.
The family had been on and off at their home as they were keeping themselves busy with the wedding work. After the marriage, the family returned on Thursday morning, changed to casuals and left the jewellery behind, before leaving the home.
The burglars who struck around noon used power tools to cut the locks of the grill gate as well as the front door and breaking the padlock to gain entry into the house. They looked for the valuables which took time and laid waste to silk sarees stored in almirah, since they could not find the valuables. At last, they found the key to the steel almirah in which the valuables were stored.
“It is still a mystery as to how none of the other families missed the gang climbing down three storeys with a huge LED TV wrapped in a silk saree”, wondered a police official. Cops suspect the burglars to have been gathering reccee and were aware of the fact that the family was into a wedding and won’t return for the couple of hours which the gang used it to their advantage in emptying the house.
The burglars did not even spare a 10 L cooker from the kitchen and a UPS. They also gobbled up the water stored in the refrigerator to quench their thirst and weariness in emptying the house.