CHENNAI: An elderly couple was robbed at knifepoint by a gang who trespassed into their house in Villivakkam during the early hours of Friday and allegedly escaped with Rs 2.5 lakh cash and 70 sovereigns of gold.
The couple Cholan (74) and Vanaja (64) lived alone on the first floor of a housing complex in SIDCO Nagar. The couple have three children, who are married and live in different places, police said. Cholan is a mason.
Around 3 a.m. on Friday, Vanaja opened the door after hearing knocks. As soon as the door opened, the gang of five entered the house and held a knife at Vanaja’s throat. When Cholan came to check on his wife upon hearing the noise, the gang threatened him too.
The gang escaped with Rs 2.5 lakh of cash and 70 sovereigns of gold from the cupboard and also took the gold chain and ring from the woman.
After the gang left the scene, the couple alerted their neighbours and called their daughter who reached the scene and informed the police.
Police investigations revealed that Cholan was overseeing renovation works at a building in the neighbourhood and had cash in the house to pay the construction workers.
Police suspect the gang to have prior knowledge about the presence of the cash in Cholan’s house. Special teams have been formed to trace the suspects.