KOCHI: Two masked men broke into the house of a lady doctor residing alone at Athani, near Aluva and decamped with gold and diamond ornaments and cash worth Rs 16.44 lakh on Saturday.
The incident took place at around 2 a.m. The two men barged into the bedroom and tied the hands of Gracy Mathew, 55, Medical Officer at the Chengamanad community health centre. She had to remain silent at least for half-an-hour as they threatened her of physical harm. They stole gold ornaments worth 57 sovereigns, a diamond necklace worth Rs 1.50 lakh and Rs 79,000 which was kept in a steel almirah in her house.
She lives alone as her husband is working in the United States and son, a Navy doctor resides in Mumbai.
Police said that chances of miscreants being Keralites are high as the doctor has given in her statement that she heard the two talking Malaya-lam to each other. “The miscreants targeted this house because they had the knowledge that she was staying alone. No other houses in the locality were robbed,” an official with the Chengam-anad police station said.
Officials said that the thieves went through the rooms in the ground and first floor before barging into the bedroom of the doctor. The miscreants forced her to give up her gold bangles and ring and then stole the rest of the valuables from the almirah.
“The stolen items, including the gold bangles and ring that she wore, were wrapped up in one of her shawl and the miscreants left the scene,” officials said.
Following this, the doctor alerted the police who rushed to the spot around 2.45 a.m. and immediately searched the entire area, but no trace of the accused was found. The scientific and finger print experts examined the crime scene and collected evidence on Saturday morning. It is learnt that the dog squad trailed the scent up to a vacant plot and stopped.
Chengamanadu Police have registered a case in this regard under Sections 443 (Lurking house-trespass or house-breaking by night), 394 (Voluntarily causing hurt in committing robbery), 461 (Dishonestly breaking open receptacle containing property) and 34 (Acts done by several persons in furtherance of common intention).
