Thiruvananthapuram: A third burglary in three days, including two of them in the commercial capital Kochi, has shocked Kerala, and triggered concerns among those who have elderly family members living alone in homes.
The latest in the series of burglaries was reported from Tripunithura in the outskirts of Kochi on Friday morning, in which the family members were harmed by the intruders.
The incident happened at the home of Nannappilli Anandakumar near the Hill Palace in Tripunithura. The gang comprising nearly a dozen burglars entered the house around 2.30am, tied up the family members and attacked those who tried to resist.
Early reports said the family lost 50 sovereigns of gold, mobile phones and some cash. The gang had tied up Anandakumar, 49, his mother Swarnamma, 72, his wife Shary, 46, and their two children before making a search of the house and escaping with the valuables. Anandakumar suffered head injuries.
The matter came to light only after daybreak, and the injured family members were taken to hospital. The gang is believed to have cut through the window grills and entered the house. The gang members are thought to be from outside Kerala.
Senior police officers visited the house, which is less than 100 metres from the railway tracks.
On Thursday, another incident of burglary was reported from the heart of Kochi city, in which an elderly couple was robbed at knifepoint. The couple lost five sovereigns in the burglary that occurred in the early hours.
On Wednesday, a woman was murdered in a burglary incident in Cheemeni in Kasaragod in north Kerala.
