Couple who drugged and robbed family arrested

TIRUVALLUR: A couple, who reportedly drugged and robbed a family in Tiruvallur and went absconding have been arrested by the police on Tuesday.

The accused were identified as Venkatesan and Lakshmi, hailing from Andhra Pradesh. A couple of weeks ago, the duo had rented a house from Sushila, a retired railway employee, in Dhawoodkhanpet and befriended them. Four days after they moved in, the couple mixed drugs in food and milk, served it to several members of the family and robbed them. “While the victims lay unconscious on the floor, Venkatesan and his wife removed jewellery from the family weighing around 11 sovereigns and fled,” police said. The crime came to light when one of the family members who had returned after her night shift found the entire family unconscious. Based on a complaint, the Tiruvallur Town police registered a case and began their enquiries. A special team that was formed to locate the missing duo found them hiding in Tiruvallur. Further enquiries revealed that the accused had taken the jewellery and sold it with the help of their relatives in Andhra Pradesh and used it to enjoy multiple vacations. After they were arrested, the police recovered two bangles weighing two sovereigns, which the accused Lakshmi had worn on her hands. The police have remanded the couple to judicial custody.