CHENNAI: The police have cast a net for the burglars who decamped with gold and silver articles worth Rs 50 lakh from a jewellery shop in Kancheepuram district's Manimangalam.

Sindharam (36) of Orathur near Manimangalam owns a pawn shop on the Orathur-Madambakkam Road. After shop hours on Monday night, Sindharam locked the outlet and returned home. When he came to work the next morning, he was shocked to find the shutter of the shop broken and the CCTV installed at the entrance was damaged.

He immediately alerted the Maninmangalam police, who visited the spot and found that around 45 sovereigns of ornaments and a few silver items kept for sale at the shop were looted by the unidentified miscreants.

Investigations also revealed that the burglars had tried to break open the locker but failed, and the 100 sovereigns of gold inside the locker remained safe.

The police have registered a case and are trying to identify the intruders. They are also working to recover the footage from the damaged CCTV cameras.

Locals have also raised an alarm on the increasing chain snatching and roadside robbery incidents on the Orathur-Madambakkam Road and demanded extra police patrols during the night to prevent such incidents.