Contractor robbed of Rs 9 lakh at knifepoint

The victim, Lakshmi Biswal, an Odisha native, is said to be a contractor of a factory in Gummidipoondi Sipcot. He lives with his family at Pappankulam village, police said.

The incident happened on Monday afternoon when he was returning on a two-wheeler after withdrawing Rs 9 lakh from a bank on the bypass road. The cash was meant to pay salaries to his staff. He was stopped by a bike-borne duo coming in the opposite direction near Sipcot. They suddenly took out a knife and threatened him to hand over the money and escaped from the spot with it. Based on his complaint, the Sipcot police registered a case and combed the CCTV footage in the bank and near the scene of crime. They found out that a few men were keeping a watch on him at the bank. Officials suspect that they could have alerted the duo who robbed the cash. Three special teams have been formed to nab the gang, said an official.

Similarly, Tirupalaivanam police have launched a hunt for five men who stole seven laptops from a government school in Pulicat after tying up the security guard, a senior citizen, on Monday night.