CHENNAI: In yet another case of daylight robbery, a 38-year-old woman at Villivakkam was attacked, gagged and robbed by a three-member gang, all in their early 20s, who made away with 20 sovereigns of gold.
Police said Soundari (38) of Agasthiar street in Villivakkam was about to leave for her child’s school in Mogappair around 1:30 pm when the gang, entered her house. When she got back to the main hall after collecting her mobile phone from the bedroom, she was shocked to find the trio inside brandishing knives. When she refused to part with the jewels and tried to raise an alarm, they thrashed her and even inflicted knife injuries on her lips and nose which left her unconscious.
By the time she regained her senses, they gang had tied her up with her dupatta. They forced her to show the keys to the safe where cash and valuables were kept. However, a noise that originated from outside rattled the trio who locked her up in the bedroom and fled.
About 30 minutes later, a neighbour who found the front door wide open and feeble cries from inside, rushed in and set her free. She alerted her husband who lodged a complaint with Villivakkam police later in the evening.
Meanwhile, residents of Nerkumdrum Road near Koyambedu woke up to a horrific Monday morning when they came to know that robbers had struck at five shops in the area and decamped with the loot, the previous night.
According to police, the robbery came to light on Monday morning when one Ganeshan, who is running a provisional shop at Meenakshi Nagar on Tiruvallur Salai, found that his shop was broke open and about `5,000 missing.