VELLORE: Distressed by a sudden spurt in crimes in Gudiyattam police station limits, the local policemen, unable to get any leads to solve the cases, turned to God for succour. At sunset on Sunday, they conducted a rahu kala pooja.
The cops are clueless regarding seven robberies reported since May 1, in which several people lost cash, gold and silver worth about Rs 1.50 to Rs 2 crore. According to sources in the department, the policemen cleaned the station on Sunday after which a local priest performed the pooja meant to ward off the evil eye from the station and to enable the policemen solve pending cases and keep their jurisdiction crime-free.
Police officers sought to play down the incident, saying they have been performing poojas every Friday. On Sunday they performed a pooja and smashed a pumpkin to ward off evil spirits from the station, they said.
Starting with a house break-in at Parvathiyapuram, where burglars decamped with gold worth Rs 3 lakh, there were a series of incidents—Rs 2 lakh was stolen from a cement shop on May 16 and Rs 5.50 lakh from three houses and another shop. On May 20, a jewellery shop agent was waylaid by three motorcycle-borne men, who fled with Rs 5 lakh, police said. He, however, claimed he had been carrying Rs 75 lakh to buy jewels from Sowcarpet in Chennai. Five days later, a man from Salem lost 5.7 kg of silver ornaments kept in a car.