Police said Ramesh Kumar (48), from Rajasthan, owns a gold jewel sales cum pawn shop near the Corporation East Zone office. His residence is located adjacent to the shop.

On the eve of Maha Shivaratri, Ramesh closed the shop early and left with his family for a temple in the Vellalore area. In their absence, unidentified persons broke open the shop's rear shutter lock at around 11 pm and gained entry.

“The burglars had stolen around 40 sovereigns of gold jewels and five kg of silver ornaments kept for sale, as well as those pledged by customers before fleeing the scene. On returning home, late in the night, Ramesh discovered that the shutter lock had been broken open and jewels were missing from the shop,” police said.

On receiving information, the Singanallur police rushed to the spot for an inquiry, while a sniffer dog was pressed into service and forensic experts gathered evidence. Police have been examining the CCTV footage of the shop and those in the neighbouring areas to trace the culprits.