Masked duo rob 16 sovereign from Namakkal woman at gunpoint

COIMBATORE: A 58-year-old woman was robbed of 16 sovereigns of gold jewellery and Rs 20,000 in cash by two masked men who held her at gunpoint at her farmhouse near Rasipuram in Namakkal district on Thursday night.

Police identified the victim as Kalaiselvi, a farmer who lives alone at her farmhouse. Her two daughters are married and reside elsewhere.

According to police, Kalaiselvi returned home around 9 pm when the two masked men forced their way into the house. As she attempted to raise an alarm, one of the intruders threatened her with a knife while the other pointed a firearm at her forehead.

The assailants then snatched the jewellery she was wearing and took away Rs 20,000 in cash kept in a bureau before fleeing the scene.

The traumatised woman subsequently alerted the police, following which a team from Rasipuram rushed to the spot and launched an investigation. A sniffer dog, Steffi, was pressed into service while forensic experts visited the house and collected evidence.

Senior police officials, including Coimbatore Range Deputy Inspector General of Police P Saminathan, who is holding additional charge of Salem Range, and Namakkal Superintendent of Police S Vimala, inspected the crime scene and reviewed the progress of the investigation.

Police have formed four special teams to trace the culprits. Investigators are examining CCTV footage and pursuing other leads to identify and apprehend the suspects.