Kottayam: More than 70 sovereigns of gold were stolen from two Rubber Board residential quarters in Puthuppally here on Monday night. The Kottayam East police have started an investigation into the incident.

Police said that both houses were locked and unoccupied at the time of the theft. An officer told Onmanorama that the burglars were likely familiar with the area, as they seemed to know that many residents were away, either visiting their hometowns or attending other engagements.

"At present, we have no concrete evidence. The entire quarters spread over more than 100 acres. There is no CCTV coverage inside the quarters, which makes evidence collection challenging," the officer said. Police will examine CCTV footage from areas outside the quarters.

Forty-three sovereigns of gold were stolen from one house, while the exact amount taken from the other is yet to be ascertained.

The burglary came to light on Tuesday morning when the residents returned and found their houses broken into.