A robber raided a retired teacher's home in Tamil Nadu but left an apology note promising to return the stolen items within a month, media reports say.

Chithirai Selvan, 79, and his wife, also a retired teacher, had left their home on Sathankulam road to visit their son in Chennai on June 17. They had hired a domestic help, Selvi, to periodically clean the house during their absence.

When Selvi visited the home on June 26, she found the main door open and alerted Selvan. Upon returning home, Selvan discovered that Rs 60,000, 12 gm gold jewellery, and a pair of silver anklets were missing.

Police searching the home found an apology letter allegedly left by the burglar. The letter read: "Forgive me. I will return this in a month. I am doing this as someone in my house is not well."

Megnanapuram police have registered a case and have started an investigation.

A similar incident occurred in Kerala last year, where a thief returned the money earned from selling a stolen gold necklace, along with an apology letter.