COIMBATORE: The Coimbatore city police arrested a pawn shop owner on Friday for thrashing a woman to death after she pledged fake jewels to avail gold loan.
Police said Sutha (39), a native of Uthangarai in Krishnagiri, approached Rajaram (53) from GPM Nagar in Rathinapuri, who runs a pawn shop at Chinnamettupalayam in Saravanampatti, to pledge her jewels on December 8.
She then availed a loan of Rs 30,000. The woman visited the shop the very next day and as well as on December 12, and pledged similar imitation jewels and availed a loan amount of Rs 32,000 and Rs 75,000.
Meanwhile, Rajaram examined the pledged jewels with an appraiser and discovered, to his shock, that they were merely gold-plated ones. Police said when Sutha turned up once again on 17 December to pledge 12 grams of gold jewels and avail a loan of Rs 90,000, a furious Rajaram thrashed her along with his friend Mahendran and five others.
“They took her to a house, behind the shop and assaulted her with PVC pipes and wooden reapers. She then swooned,” police said.
On receiving information, ambulance staff arrived and found the woman to be dead. The body was shifted to Coimbatore Medical College and Hospital for a post-mortem. The deceased is mother of two children.
Police said Rajaram then surrendered before Chinnavedampatti Village Administrative Officer (VAO) G Pandi, who then handed him over to Saravanampatti police. Police arrested him, and a search is on for six others.