Gang barges into massage parlour, robs staff and customer

Coimbatore: A four-member gang barged into a massage parlour at Veerakeralam in rural Coimbatore, assaulted thee women staff and snatched 3 sovereigns gold jewellery and Rs 25,000 from them. They also assaulted a 33-year-old customer, dragged him to a nearby ATM and forced him to withdraw Rs 12,000 from his account and hand it over to them before fleeing in the car owned by the customer.

The customer, a resident of Chikmagalur in Karnataka, is an employee of an IT company in Sarvanampatti. On Sunday evening, he went to the parlour located on Siruvani Road in Veerakeralam and paid for a massage. At that time, the manager of the parlour and an employee were there, besides the three women staff.

Police officials said the four men barged into the parlour and snatched 3 sovereigns gold jewellery from the women and 25,000 from the parlour. Later, they dragged the customer to his car and went to Karumathampatti where he was forced to withdraw Rs 12,00 and hand it over to them. After this, the gang escaped with his car. The customer went to the Karumathapatti police station where he was directed to go to the Vadavalli police station.

Police officials confirmed the incident and said a complaint was registered. "We are investigating the case and have formed a special team. We will catch the culprits soon," said a police officer. The parlour is owned by one Satish, who is a resident of Villakanpatti in Erode.

Police officials said the gang damaged the CCTV cameras at the centre and took away the hard disc. Police have registered a case under sections 451, 392, 397 and 365 of the IPC.