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Armed dacoits decamp with jewellery, cash

CHENNAI: Armed dacoits locked up inmates of a bungalow in suburban Mangadu and decamped with 150 sovereigns of gold jewellery and Rs.25 lakh in cash.

At around 2 a.m. on Monday, seven persons, most of them with their faces covered with shawls, broke the rear door open and made their way into the bungalow on Perumal Koil Street in Kerugambakkam, Mangadu, in which Srinivas Reddy and his family lived. They threatened Mr. Reddy and his wife Lakshmi Bai to part with the cash and gold jewellery kept in the almirah, said a relative of Mr. Reddy.

Mr. Reddy, who resisted initially, gave in to their demand and handed over the valuables and cash when the dacoits threatened to kill him. They swiftly stuffed the booty in suitcases that they had brought, locked the inmates of the house, and escaped in the cover of darkness, a family member said.

On information, Commissioner of Police G. Nanchil Kumaran, JCP (Central) P. Balasubramanian and DCP (Ambattur) Joshi Nirmal Kumar visited the spot and interrogated the inmates.

Mr. Nanchil Kumaran told The Hindu that the police had got a vital clue in the case and hoped to arrest the gang and recover the properties soon. “We have formed special parties and are working in that direction.”

Investigating officers said that preliminary probe with the family members suggested the dacoits conversed in Tamil and appeared to be in the 25-35 age group. One of them did not cover his face.

Though the First Information Report said that the dacoits took away Rs.25 lakh in cash and 150 sovereigns of gold jewellery, it was suspected that the loss might be more, police officers said. The police also suspect that the crime might have been committed by someone known to the complainant.

According to Mr. Reddy, he had withdrawn Rs.20 lakh from the bank last week and had Rs.5 lakh in cash at home.

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