COIMBATORE: The Valparai police arrested a 49-year-old municipality worker for 'aggravated robbery'. He targeted a 70-year-old woman when she was alone at her house in Valparai on Tuesday night and fled with the gold jewels she was wearing.
The arrested person is B Udhayakumar of the PWD Quarters in the Co-Operative Colony in Valparai. He is a contract worker with the water supply department of the Valparai Municipality.
The robber, who was known by the victim, Santhi, thought she had died during his assault. However, she actually fainted, regained consciousness the next day and lodged a police complaint.
The crime occurred at her residence at High School Quarters, Valparai, when her husband Selvaraj had gone to their native place in Pollachi on Tuesday evening.
Santhi had asked Udhayakumar for a replacement of her chain's hook that was lost. He arrived around 9 pm on Tuesday with a hook for her chain. As she went inside the house, he followed her and strangled her from behind, threatened her and demanded the gold ornaments she was wearing. He allegedly muffled her to prevent her from screaming and robbed her of gold jewels weighing around two sovereigns.
Santhi regained consciousness on Wednesday morning and alerted her husband by phone. Subsequently, the family members from Pollachi rushed to Valparai and admitted Santhi to Valparai Government Hospital for treatment. She then complained to the police.
Police arrested Udhayakumar on Wednesday evening and remanded him to prison.
Police sources said Udhayakumar robbed her of her jewellery after she fainted, thinking she had died. He thought nobody would suspect him if she had died. However, the woman regained consciousness the next morning and explained the entire episode to the police. The suspect, who did not know about the developments, was arrested within a few hours and the stolen property was also fully recovered from him, said police.