Trio robs gold chain from corpse in Coimbatore burial ground

COIMBATORE: A quiet burial ground in Coimbatore has turned into the scene of a shocking theft, with police launching a manhunt for three men who allegedly exhumed a fish vendor's grave and stole gold jewellery buried with his body.

Nagaraj (60), a fish vendor from Sowripalayam, died on June 6 following a brief illness. His body was buried the next day by family members at the burial ground in the same neighbourhood.

According to family members, Nagaraj was particularly fond of a gold chain with a fish-shaped pendant, which he regularly wore. As a mark of sentiment, the family decided not to remove the ornament before burial and interred him with the chain.

When his son Venkatesh Kumar and their relatives went to the burial ground to perform the 16th day rituals, they were shocked to find that the soil around the grave had been disturbed and appeared to have recently been dug up.

Suspecting foul play, the family questioned Karthikeyan (27), an employee responsible for maintenance at the burial ground. During the inquiry, he allegedly revealed that two locals, Sakthivel (26) and Manikandan (25), had entered the burial ground at night, exhumed the grave, and removed a gold chain weighing about 3.5 sovereigns from the body.

Based on a complaint lodged by Venkatesh Kumar, the Peelamedu police registered a case and launched a search for the three suspects, who are on the run.

Preliminary investigations suggest that Sakthivel and Manikandan scaled the compound wall of the burial ground on the night of June 16, excavated the burial site near the head of the deceased, and retrieved the chain.

Police further said the stolen jewellery was sold and the proceeds were shared between them, with Rs 30,000 allegedly given to Karthikeyan for his role in the crime. Special police teams have been deployed to trace and arrest the absconding accused.