A significant gold theft occurred at a Tanishq jewellery showroom located in Palanganatham, Madurai.
The masked burglar entered the newly opened Tanishq showroom at Palanganatham through a lift passage and escaped with gold and diamond jewellery weighing a reported 23kg. Join conversation Share your thoughts in the comments Be respectful · TOI community guidelines Police traced his movements through surveillance cameras up to Kalavasal junction but lost track of him beyond that point. You Can Also Check: Gold Rate in Madurai | Silver Rate in Madurai | Bank Holidays in Madurai | Public Holidays in Madurai | Madurai AQI | Weather in Madurai | Petrol Price in Madurai | Diesel Price in Madurai | CNG Price in Madurai | LPG Price in Madurai Stay updated with the latest Madurai news.
Wearing a mask, gloves, shoes and a full-body outfit resembling personal protective equipment to conceal his identity, he entered the lift maintenance passage, said an investigation officer. “He cut through the protective mesh covering the lift shaft, climbed down onto the roof of the lift car parked at the first-floor level, entered the cabin and forced open its glass door to access the showroom,” the officer said. Investigators said the footage had not indicated that he headed towards Madurai railway junction.
Only the first of the building’s three upper floors was operational, while construction and interior work continued on the remaining floors. The ground floor was used for parking. Carrying a black bag and a wheeled trolley bag, the suspect removed gold and diamond ornaments from the showcases before escaping through the same passage. CCTV camera footage showed him leaving from the rear, unnoticed by security guards stationed at the main entrance. They are now trying to identify the vehicle he may have used to escape. The burglary has also raised questions about the showroom’s security arrangements. Police found that intrusion alarms were installed only at the entrances to the operational first floor, allowing the suspect to bypass them through the unfinished lift passage without triggering an alert. Police commissioner Rajendran is supervising the investigation, with nine teams involving three assistant commissioners and nine inspectors deployed. Forensic experts have collected evidence from the lift passage, while police have questioned showroom employees, engineers, electricians, plumbers and construction workers and recorded fingerprints for comparison. Investigators are also examining similarities with previous jewellery burglaries. Police suspect the intruder had knowledge of the building’s layout, security arrangements and jewellery storage areas. Download the TOI App.
MADURAI: Several hours after Madurai’s biggest gold heist, the lone suspect remained at large on Thursday, with police yet to establish his whereabouts. The jewellery showroom on Bypass Road, opened barely a month ago, had stocked more than 42kg of jewellery on Wednesday night, with ornaments reportedly left in display showcases instead of a vault. Between 3am and 4am on Thursday, the suspect climbed the scaffolding erected behind the building for construction work and reached the third floor.