Pedestrians and motorists on Gandhipuram 10th Street couldn’t believe their eyes on Wednesday when they saw staff of a jewellery store rushing out with gold jewellery in full public view on the busy commercial street.
Apparently, there was a fire accident at the shop, following which the staff were shifting the jewels hurriedly to prevent any damage.
“A fireman stopped me asking to wait for a few minutes as they were fighting the fire. When I saw the jewels being carried, I initially thought those must be covering jewels. Then a fireman explained that they were actually gold jewels and were being shifted as there was a fire accident,” said Varun Rajan, a marketing professional and a resident of Ram Nagar.
Sources said a minor fire broke out in the administrative office of the Riti Jewellery located in the third floor of a building on the street around 2 pm. “It was due to an electrical short circuit. Fearing a major accident, the staff immediately called us. But it was a minor fire and we contained it in a few minutes,” said a fireman.
However, fearing that the fire might spread to the entire office, the staff immediately started shifting the gold jewels kept in a cupboard in the office to one of their premises located across the same road. The firemen and company staff stood as guard across the road as the jewels were being shifted.
Police said the showroom of the jewellery company was located on the first floor and since the fire was contained, a huge loss was averted. “Only a few computers and other electronic items were gutted. We rushed to the spot to prevent public from gathering around the spot as the jewels were being shifted by the company staff. But we are awaiting a written complaint from the company to register an FIR,” said sub-inspector Mohana Jothi of Kattur police station.