Police are on the lookout for a masked gang that reportedly robbed a jewellery showroom owner of ₹1.5 crore when he was going to Thiruvananthapuram to purchase jewels on Tuesday.
Police said the jewellery showroom owner, Ishanth, 40, of Tirunelveli Town, was going in his car to purchase gold ornaments from his supplier in Neyyatinkara near Thiruvananthapuram. Two cars, which were reportedly following the car of Mr. Ishanth, intercepted his vehicle at Moondradaippu rail overbridge on Tirunelveli-Kanniyakumari National Highway and the unidentified persons, who had masked their faces, smashed the windscreens of the car.
When they tried to open the car in a bid to take away the cash, a driver of an omni bus, who saw this stopped his vehicle and along with some of the passengers tried to help the victim. However, the robbers took control of Mr. Ishanth’s car and escaped with the cash. After reaching Nedunkulam village, they switched to their own car.
While the villagers informed the Nanguneri police, Mr. Ishanth alerted his family members about the robbery. The Nanguneri and Moondradaippu police rushed to the spot and made inquiries with the victim about the robbery.
“Since he is giving contradictory information about the incident and about the quantum of cash reportedly robbed, we cannot conclude immediately that it was a case of robbery. Anyway, we are investigating,” said the police sources.