The victim Noorul Yakub of Saradambal Street runs a leather business and has his office in Habibullah Road, said police. He stayed in the house with his wife and the latter’s nephew Yasar and their help. The couple does not have children.

Police said their relative, one Moideen from Kayalpattinam in Thoothukudi district visited the house two weeks ago and stayed with them. However, around 4.30 pm on Wednesday, Moideen reached the house with four other men in an autorickshaw and threatened the family at knifepoint and gagged them.

Later, they took out the jewellery of 250 sovereigns and Rs 10 lakh in cash. Around 9.30 pm, Moideen and another person in the gang escaped with the valuables in an autorickshaw and took Yasar also with them, threatening the victims not to inform the police.

While the duo left Yasar near Panagal Park, a few metres away from Pondy Bazaar police station, and fled the scene, Yasar rushed back home to find the other three having escaped with Noorul Yakub’s car. They reached the police station around 10.30 pm and lodged a complaint. Police have collected the CCTV footage and have launched a hunt for Moideen. Yasar is also being interrogated.

“Moideen had been staying in a lodge in Perimat before moving to Yakub’s house, but he did not go back. A special team has rushed to Thoothukudi to nab him to get clarity on the incident since the statements of the victims are contradictory. Also, Yasar claims that he is COVID positive. So, we are investigating the case to our best of ability to bring out the truth,” said a police official.

Rajamangalam police are investigating the theft of 28 sovereigns and silver articles from a house in Korattur. The victim couple, Mukunthan and Bhuvaneshwari, had left for their medical shop on Wednesday and their daughter was with their grandparents when the housemaid came to the house to cook lunch as usual and left, said police. When they reached home in the afternoon, they found the valuables stolen and lodged a complaint raising suspicion on the housemaid since the house door was not broken open. Police picked her up for interrogation. Further investigation is on.