Close on the heels of daring bank robberies in Chennai, the hosiery town of Tirupur was shaken by a major burglary at a jewellery shop run by Kerala-based Anto Alukkas group in the early hours of Tuesday.
The culprits took away pure gold and diamond-studded jewellery valued at nearly Rs. 10 crore.
This is the third such incident in Tirupur in a year and the second jewellery showroom to be targeted. Exactly a year ago burglars decamped with more than Rs.13 lakh cash from the Appachi Nagar branch of Canara Bank.
On September 24 last , an armed gang barged into a branch of the Mini Muthoot Finance branch on the Tirupur-Kangeyam Highway and took away 1,381 sovereigns of gold jewellery.
Tuesday's incident came as a shock to residents as the showroom was located opposite Tirupur North police station.
Deputy Inspector General of Police (in-charge of Coimbatore range) Sanjay Kumar confirmed that 36 kg of pure gold jewellery and two kg of diamond-studded gold jewellery, totally valued at Rs.10 crore, were stolen.
However, gold jewellery, weighing around 25 kg in a locker was not taken away. The burglars used a gas cutter to gain entry through a grill ventilator on the rear of the building.
Four gas cutters and a bag containing a few tools were recovered from the scene of crime. Shop personnel switch off CCTV cameras at night.
