Highway heist: Gang robs 1,250 sovereign ornaments, worth Rs 10 cr, from Chennai jewellery staff

CHENNAI: In a daring highway heist, a gang of unidentified assailants attacked three men and robbed approximately 10 kg of gold, around 1,250 sovereigns valued at around Rs 10 crore, near Samayapuram on the Tiruchy-Chennai National Highway late on Saturday night.

According to the police, a jewellery showroom in Chennai's Sowcarpet sent its manager, Gunavath (26), and another staffer to deliver the ornaments to a jewellery shop in Dindigul. They went by a car. After delivering a portion of the gold in Dindigul, the trio was returning to Chennai with the remaining ornaments weighing around 10 kg.

Around the Irungalur area near Samayapuram, they pulled over to answer nature's call. As they came out of the car, they were ambushed by a four-member gang that had been following them in another car. The assailants threw chili powder on Gunavath and the other two, temporarily blinding them. Before they could recover, the robbers seized the bag containing the gold from their car and sped away in their own vehicle.

The victims immediately reported the incident to the Samayapuram police station. Based on the information, a team of officials led by Samayapuram inspector rushed to the scene and initiated an investigation. The police are examining footage from CCTV cameras installed at the Samayapuram toll plaza and other locations in the area. A case has been registered, and a manhunt is under way.

Following the robbery, the Superintendent of Police, Tiruchy, formed three special police teams to track down the suspects. The police are investigating multiple angles, including whether the gang had been tailing the car from Chennai or if they had identified the target while the gold was being sold at the jewellery store in Dindigul.