Unidentified men attacked the owner of a pawnshop on Arcot Road in Virugambakkam on Deepavali evening, and stole nearly 100 sovereigns of gold jewellery and other valuables.
The man died at a city hospital the following day.
The K. K. Nagar police said the incident took place sometime between 7 p.m. and 8 p.m. on Wednesday at Anand Bankers, a pawn shop-cum-cell phone recharge outlet, owned and operated by L. Heeraram (56), a resident of Bangaru Naidu Colony in K.K. Nagar, for over two decades.
“Heeraram and his son, Anand, a CA student, were taking care of the business. Around 5.45 p.m. on Wednesday, Anand left the shop for some work and returned past 8 p.m. to find his father lying in a pool of blood and the shop ransacked. He rushed Heeraram to a private hospital for treatment,” said an investigating officer.
A preliminary probe by K. K. Nagar police revealed that unidentified men, possibly posing as customers, came to the shop and attacked Heeraram with knives, inflicting injuries on his head and hands. They then stole gold jewellery, silver items, and cash from the shop, and fled. “Most shops in the vicinity were closed for the festival and there was smoke in the area due to the bursting of firecrackers which had reduced visibility. Heeraram hadn’t installed CCTV cameras in the shop,” the officer said.
Heeraram who was undergoing treatment at a private hospital died early Thursday, police sources said.
The case was altered to one of murder, and a special team has been formed for investigating it. One suspect has been detained for questioning by the team.
