A maid foiled an attempt by a three-man gang to rob a pawnbroker at gunpoint in his shop in Royapettah on Sunday morning, raising an alarm that scuttled the heist and helped the would-be victim and onlookers to apprehend one of the culprits.
Investigators said Munna Lal was about to open the shop he ran out of his house on Jani Jahan Khan Street, Royapettah, at 10.30 am on Sunday when the maid, Vanitha, opened a door and saw three men striding inside.
"Vanitha had just finished cleaning the hall, when she saw one of the strangers point a revolver at Munna Lal," an investigating officer said. "When she screamed for help, another of the men also pulled out a gun and pointed it at her."
The man forced the gun into her mouth and told her not to make a sound, Vanitha told the city police.
The man who was holding the revolver to Munna Lal's head, meanwhile, told the pawnbroker in Hindi that he would not kill him if he handed over all the jewellery in his shop.
By then, alerted by Vanitha's scream, a neighbour, Balasubramaniam, Munna Lal's wife and his mother rushed into the shop. They caught and overpowered the man threatening Munna Lal, Ravi Kanth Singh, a native of Uttar Pradesh and the investigators' main suspect in the case.
The two other robbers escaped but Munna Lal and Balasubramaniam tied Ravi Kanth Singh to a chair and called the police control room.
Police officers seized revolvers, ammunition, sickles and three SIM cards from Ravi Kanth Singh, the officer said.
"Ravi Kanth Singh went the shop a week ago to reconnaissance the target," the investigating officer said. "While questioning him about his accomplices, he said they stayed on East Coast Road and gave policemen an address."
Police went to the address and found three youngsters there. But Munna Lal and the maid said they were not among those who attempted to rob the shop.
A special police team investigating the case is questioning Ravi Kanth Singh and has launched a search for other members of the gang.
Investigators said Munna Lal was about to open the shop he ran out of his house on Jani Jahan Khan Street, Royapettah, at 10.30 am on Sunday when the maid, Vanitha, opened a door and saw three men striding inside.
"Vanitha had just finished cleaning the hall, when she saw one of the strangers point a revolver at Munna Lal," an investigating officer said. "When she screamed for help, another of the men also pulled out a gun and pointed it at her."
The man forced the gun into her mouth and told her not to make a sound, Vanitha told the city police.
The man who was holding the revolver to Munna Lal's head, meanwhile, told the pawnbroker in Hindi that he would not kill him if he handed over all the jewellery in his shop.
By then, alerted by Vanitha's scream, a neighbour, Balasubramaniam, Munna Lal's wife and his mother rushed into the shop. They caught and overpowered the man threatening Munna Lal, Ravi Kanth Singh, a native of Uttar Pradesh and the investigators' main suspect in the case.
The two other robbers escaped but Munna Lal and Balasubramaniam tied Ravi Kanth Singh to a chair and called the police control room.
Police officers seized revolvers, ammunition, sickles and three SIM cards from Ravi Kanth Singh, the officer said.
"Ravi Kanth Singh went the shop a week ago to reconnaissance the target," the investigating officer said. "While questioning him about his accomplices, he said they stayed on East Coast Road and gave policemen an address."
Police went to the address and found three youngsters there. But Munna Lal and the maid said they were not among those who attempted to rob the shop.
A special police team investigating the case is questioning Ravi Kanth Singh and has launched a search for other members of the gang.