He failed to strike gold

S Kadirgamarthambi, Jaffna spl cor

A 61-year-old man who went to a jewellery shop at Powerhouse Road, Jaffna to change a euro note escaped

with a half sovereign gold necklace found on the counter while shop employees were attending to another transaction.

The employees who noticed the loss gave chase to the man and caught him near the Jaffna Teaching Hospital.

When the employees threatened to take him to the police station, he had admitted the robbery and taken the employees to a nearby toilet promising to return the robbed item.

The man had stuck two fingers inside his throat and vomitted out the necklace he had gulped.

The shop owner who was at the scene picked the necklace and pardoned the man for his crime.

Police who arrived at the scene, asked the employees to take the man to the police station and lodge a complaint. Investigations revealed that the man was a suspect on bail regarding another jewellery theft. Investigations are continuing.