Burglars strike at 2 houses, loot jewels

TIRUVANNAMALAI: As many as 32 sovereigns of gold and Rs 95,000 were stolen from two houses located on the same street in Vandavasi on Sunday morning, while the residents had left to attend a festival at the Jalagandeshwarar temple. According to the police, Rajendran and Kathirvelu, whose houses are located on Veerasamy Mudali Street, Vandavasi, left their respective homes along with their families early on Sunday morning to avoid the rush at the temple. When Rajendran, a timber mill owner, arrived home in the afternoon, he found the front door and a bureau inside broken open. According to his complaint, 31 sovereigns of gold and Rs 95,000 were stolen from the house.Meanwhile, his neighbour Kathirvelu, a government bus conductor, found the front door of his house broken open and a bureau in the bedroom ransacked. As there was no cash kept there, only a sovereign of gold jewellery and his wife’s cell phone were reported stolen. Vandawasi DSP Paneerselvam and team inspected the spot shortly after. A fingerprint team was also pressed into service.