CHENNAI: Burglars broke into the house of a retired chief engineer with Indian Railways and decamped with Rs 1.05 crore in cash and one sovereign gold jewellery.

Police sources said that the break-in happened on July 4, while an official complaint was filed on Thursday.

The retired official, Venkatachalam (65), resides with his family at an apartment on Wallace Garden Third Street in Nungambakkam.

Venkatachalam had kept the cash and one sovereign gold jewellery in a locker inside his house since April this year. Upon returning from their outstation visit, the family found the valuables in the locker missing, after which a complaint was filed at the Thousand Lights police station.

The retired engineer had kept the cash to buy a plot of land, police sources said. Apart from Venkatachalam and his wife, their daughter, husband, and in-laws too were frequenting the house, police said.

Police are probing the outsiders, domestic help, and drivers who had access to the apartment. Police are perusing CCTV footage in the neighbourhood to ascertain clues leading to the suspects.

The Thousand Lights police have registered a case of theft and are investigating.