Dharmapuri: A government school teacher lost Rs 2 lakh and also 10 sovereign of gold jewels to the ‘money drop’ trick used by roadside thieves to rob vicitms.
Police said 52-year-old Kalaivanan and his 77-year-old mother Rajaammal, of Ottapatti village in Athiyamankotai police limits of Dharmapuri lost property worth Rs 4.50 lakh this way to the thieves.
Kalaivanan, a government school teacher and his mother on Thursday went to a bank in Dharmapuri with 24 sovereign of jewels to take gold loan to raise money for the educational expenses of their relative studying second year MBBS in a private college.
The duo left 14 sovereigns of jewels in the bank's custody as security for Rs 2 lakh given as loan to them and was returning home in a two-wheeler with the remaining jewels and Rs 2 lakh in cash.
While at Ottapati bus stop, two youths who came in a bike informed Kalaivanan that he had dropped a Rs 50 note on the road.
As the unsuspecting victim moved to take the money from the road leaving his mother alone at the bus stop, the youth snatched the bag having valuables worth Rs 4.5 lakh from Kalaivanan's mother Rajaammal and escaped from the place.
The police, coming to know about the incident, registered a complaint and conducted a search to trace the alleged criminals who robbed the victims using 'money drop' trick.
Athiyamankottai police, explaining the 'money drop trick' said that the thieves wait near banks and in other places to fix their target.
Then, they drop few rupee notes on the road to distract the victim's attention.
The thieves then inform the targeted person about the money on the road. The persons will then be relieved of their valuables as soon as they focus on picking the rupee notes found on the road, police said.
