Burglars strike two houses, decamp with gold, cash

Trichy: Unidentified burglars broke into two neighbouring houses at Mela Kalkandarkottai in Trichy district on Thursday and escaped with gold, cash, and other valuables.Police said V Baskar, 57, a resident of Alli Street in Vivekanandhar Nagar Extension, returned home around 7.40pm on Thursday after work and found the locks broken. Inside the house, he found a bureau was ransacked and a gold ring, gold hooks, a silver lamp, and Rs 2,000 were stolen. Police said the stolen things are worth around Rs 20,000. Similarly, Baskar's neighbour Jabeen Begam, 59, who had travelled to Chennai, returned on Thursday evening to find her house burgled. The culprits had stolen gold ornaments, including earrings and coins, silver items, foreign currency (Saudi Riyal), and Rs 3,000 in cash. Police estimated the total value of the stolen items at Rs 76,000. Golden Rock police suspect that the same gang could be behind both thefts. They registered cases on Friday and are investigating.