Ramanathapuram: A woman secretary of the Primary Agricultural Co-operative Credit Society (PACS), was arrested for stealing 412 sovereigns of jewellery from there and making it look like a daylight robbery.
N Kasturi, secretary of the co-operative society bank in Thoruvalur in Ramanathapuram district had told police that two masked men entered the bank on Wednesday evening when she was alone, tied her up and decamped with the jewellery estimated at Rs 82 lakh from the bank's lockers.
According to Kasturi, the miscreants made inquiries about jewellery loans and the interest offered in the society. While Kasturi was giving them the details they threatened her and asked her to switch off the alarm installed there. They snatched from her the keys of the safes and took away all the jewels kept in them.
Ramanathapuram superintendent of police N Manivannan constituted a special team to nab the culprits, but Kasturi was also interrogated by police as she continued to make contradictory statements during inquiry.
At one point, she became agitated. Police said the lockers had two sets of keys. While one was in the custody of president of the co-operative society, Dhamayanthi, the other was with Kasturi. Both keys have to be used to open the lockers.
Dhamayanthi had gone to visit her daughter in Chennai and entrusted her set of keys also with Kasturi, as they would be required if anyone came to retrieve their pledged gold.
Kasturi in the meantime had become curious and opened the lockers a few days ago and on seeing the gold she took 150 sovereigns and hid it in her home.
She then conspired with her cousin Kalidoss of Madurai, who in turn brought his friend Paramgurunathan of Theni, to steal the gold. In the preplanned robbery, Kasturi went to the bank on Wednesday afternoon and the two men who had entered some hours later decamped with the jewellery.
They threw some pieces on the ground to make it look like a robbery.
Before escaping they tied the woman to a chair and gagged her. The incident came to light when some villagers heard knocks on the door from inside the bank and came inside. After discovering the robbery they released the secretary and informed police about the incident.
Ramanathapuram Bazaar Police retrieved the 150 sovereigns that Kasturi had hid in her house and also 263g of gold that was found strewn on the floor.
They are on the lookout for the two men who escaped with the gold.
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