COIMBATORE: In a daring robbery, a four-member masked gang looted jewels and cash after gagging and tying a couple residing in an isolated house in Salem in the early morning hours on Monday.
Police said Poomalai (51), a farmer, who also runs a brick manufacturing unit and his wife Chinna Pappa (41), were residing at an isolated house in ‘Komali Vattam’ near Sukkampatti.
Their two sons -- one of them is pursuing MBBS in the Philippines, and the other is studying in a private engineering college in Salem.
After dinner, Poomalai slept in a cot on the verandah, while his wife was inside.
Around 1 am, a four-member masked gang gagged the farmer and tied his hands at knife point.
On hearing his screams, Chinna Pappa came out of the house, and she too was restrained by the robbers. They then snatched away her 3.5 sovereigns of gold chain and earrings, and took five sovereigns of gold chain and Rs 40,000 kept in the bureau after breaking it open.
Police said the robbers then fled away from the scene and boarded a car waiting on the Harur Road. The shocked couple managed to reach the main road, where the police on patrol untied them.
A police team from Veeranam police station held investigations and scrutinised CCTV footage to trace the culprits, while forensic experts took fingerprints. Further investigations are on.