Chennai cabbie steals couple's gold, held

CHENNAI: He won their confidence and became their trusted cab driver before he stole their house keys while they were in hospital and scooted with gold jewellery worth 2.12 lakh from from their Puzhal residence. Perambur resident Ramar, 34, is now in jail after police scanned CCTV camera footage commiting the burglary and arrested him. Last month, a police officer said, Dasrathan, 64, and his wife Amutha needed to travel out of their Puzhal neighbourhood and called a taxi service. A man appeared at their apartment complex on Ambattur-Red Hills Road at the appointed time and introduced himself as Ramar. He took them where they wanted and dropped them back home. While leaving, he gave the couple his mobile phone number and asked them to call whenever they wanted a cab.So impressed were Dasarathan and his wife with Ramar's attitude that they kept calling him when they wanted to visit a relative or go to the hospital for their routine check-up. Ramar soon became close to the elderly couple living by themselves, often visiting their flat and chatting them up. He made sure the couple's neighbours saw him going into the apartment, a police officer said.On March 4, Amutha fell ill and Dasarathan immediately rang up Ramar who rushed to their house. He took the couple to hospital and helped get Amutha admitted to the emergency ward. As Dasarathan and he waited outside the ward, Ramar stole the senior citizen's house key and stepped out after saying he was going to grab something to eat.Ramar went to Dasarathan's apartment complex and walked in casually. He stole six sovereigns of gold jewellery from a cupboard, returned to the hospital and dropped the key into the bag of an unsuspecting Dasarathan.After doctors declared Amutha was fit to leave, he drove the couple home. Later, when they went to take out the gold jewellery to pledge it to fund Amutha's treatment, they found it missing. They lodged a complaint with the Puzhal police and a case was registered. A team began making inquiries and collected CCTV camera footage from the apartment complex.Police saw the couple leaving for hospital and Ramar walking into the apartment hurriedly later. They picked up Ramar who initially denied the charge before confessing that he stole the gold.