In a daring crime in one of the most police-protected areas of Chennai, two men on a motorcycle knocked down a woman and her daughter off their scooter and made away with their jewellery under the pretence of helping them. This entire episode took place on the busy Anna Salai flyover on Tuesday night, reports ToI. 

According to reports 44-year-old Latha was riding with her daughter to their home in Gopalapuram and were approaching Anna Salai when the incident occured. The assailants allegedly rammed the rear of the scooter at around 9.45 pm and the mother and daughter fell. They then took advantage of this confusion to grab at least 13 soverigns of gold jewellery worth Rs.3 lakh from the victims. 

"Latha said she did not fully comprehend what had happened till the robbers raced away," an investigating officer told ToI. "Other motorists then halted to help Latha and her daughter. By then, though, it was too late to chase the culprits. They continued in the direction they were heading and had vanished in the traffic," he added. 

Following this, others present in the vicinity helped them up. Investigators reportedly suspect that the two men tailed the scooter ahead of the crime. Latha was under the impression that she had met with an accident and was not aware of the conspiracy behind her fall. 

Police have however already obtained security camera footage from commercial establishments near the Anna Salai flyover. They have also requested the US Consulate General for CCTV footage to identify suspects.