Domestic help held for stealing gold

Trichy: A 29-year-old woman was arrested in Trichy on Sunday for stealing ornaments worth Rs 2.7 lakh from a house where she had worked as a domestic help.N Anandhi, a resident of Mela Pandamangalam in Woraiyur, was employed at the residence of K Ragunath, 43, on Salai Road in Trichy. Ragunath operates a fuel station at Ariyamangalam.On Aug 28 last year, Ragunath's wife Shanmugapriya placed her nine sovereigns ornaments including a pair of bangles, a necklace and a pair of diamond earrings inside a small pouch and kept them in her locker. When she checked the locker on Oct 26, ornaments were missing.Following a complaint from Ragunath, the Woraiyur police registered a case. During the probe, officers considered Anandhi as the person of interest in the case. When Anandhi was questioned recently about the case, she confessed to the crime, police said. They recovered seven sovereigns of gold ingots, which Anandhi melted from the ornaments, and the diamond earrings. Further investigation is on.