Jewellery worth Rs 20 lakh looted

Chennai, May 8: Jewellery worth Rs 20 lakh was looted today by miscreants from a pawn broker's shop at Kolapakkam, near Vandalur, on the outskirts of the city.

Police said the gang broke open the shutter of the shop, removed a safe weighing 650 kg and took it to a distance of 200 metre away from the shop. Then they removed the jewellery from it after prising open its door.

According to Kancheepuram SP K Periayya, the gang should have comprised at least five or six people to carry the heavy iron safe.

The robbers had removed most of the jewellery and left only the small ones, he added.

The robbery came to light when an elderly local on his way to a tea shop noticed the miscreants. They tried to stone him when he raised an alarm and were successful in running away before help could come.

Shop-owner M Vinod Kumar Jain said he had kept jewellery worth Rs 20 lakh and Rs 60,000 cash in the safe.

Mr Periayya said five special teams were formed to nab the culprits.

UNI