Coimbatore: Unidentified burglars broke into a jewellery-cum-pawnshop near Singanallur in the city and made away with 40 sovereigns of gold jewellery and 5kg of silver on Sunday night.Police said the theft took place at a shop belonging to Ramesh Kumar, 48, of Vasantha Nagar on Trichy Road, who runs Mahadev Jewellers and Finance. The theft took place when Ramesh and his family were visiting a temple near Vellalore for Mahashivaratri. The shop and his house are in the same building with the shop in the front portion and the family living in the rear portion. Kumar had kept gold and silver ornaments for sale and valuables pledged by customers worth 1 crore in the shop.When the family returned around midnight on Monday, they found the shutter of the pawnshop broken and the gold and silver stolen. They informed Singanallur police, who visited the crime scene for investigation. Police have collected fingerprints and CCTV camera footage from the vicinity. A manhunt is on to apprehend the culprits.“The crime was likely committed by people who knew that there was a large quantity of jewellery in the shop. Following preliminary investigation, we have collected some evidence and have also got some vital clues,” said a police officer. Three teams have been formed to trace the accused.
