Guest worker steals gold from 79-yr-old landlord; buys iPhones in Chennai

CHENNAI: A 22-year-old youth living as a tenant at the house of a home-alone elderly woman in Kodambakkam robbed her jewellery and pawned them to buy two iPhones in Chennai. Police have arrested the accused.

The incident came to light on Deepavali (Oct 20) when the victim's son visited her. The victim, Jeyalakshmi (79), lived alone at a house in Bharatheeswarar colony, Kodambakkam.

When her son visited her, Jeyalakshmi went to her room to wear her six sovereign gold chain, but they were missing, after which her son filed a complaint at the Vadapalani police station.

Probe revealed that the gold jewellery was stolen by the tenants in Jeyalakshmi's house. The tenants, a 22-year-old guest worker and a 17-year-old juvenile, had offered to deep clean the elderly woman's house ahead of Deepavali, and while cleaning the house, they stole her jewellery.

Investigations revealed that the suspects pawned the jewellery and used the money to buy two iPhones, and spent some of the remaining money. Police arrested the 22-year-old, Karan Bahadur and recovered the phones and Rs 54,000 cash from him. He was produced before a magistrate and remanded in judicial custody.

The juvenile delinquent was sent to a government home for boys.