Burglars strike two houses in city, 37 sovereigns robbed

Around 20 sovereigns of gold were burgled from the house of a former Madras University official on Orandiamman Koil Street in Velachery on Tuesday. Police said that Balan’s wife, a retired Assistant Registrar of Madras University, left the house key near a window and went out. Balan was at the university for official work. When Balan returned, he saw that the house door was broken open and jewellery were stolen. Based on his complaint, Velachery police have registered a case and are investigating. Since the burglars did not touch any other valuables in the house, police suspect that the burglary might have been carried out by someone known to Balan’s family.

Burglars broke into a house on Solaiyappan Street in Mylapore and decamped with 17 sovereigns of gold jewels and other valuables. Police said that the occupant Nandakumar, a retired employee of a private firm, had gone on a trip to Pune with family and returned on Wednesday. He was shocked to see his house ransacked and valuables stolen. Based on his complaint, Mylapore police have booked a case and are investigating.

Two women lost their gold chains weighing about 17 sovereigns to snatchers in Vepery and Kilpauk on Tuesday night. In the first incident, Vanaja (60) was relieved of her five-sovereign chain by bike-borne snatchers near Pachaiyappa’s College when she was walking alone. Around the same time, another woman lost her two chains weighing about 12 sovereigns in Vepery. Police said that Jebathangam (42) had parked her car on Nana Street and was walking to her house on Nancy Street, when a bike-borne snatcher grabbed her chain and fled the spot. Vepery police have booked two cases and are investigating whether the same miscreants are behind both the incidents.