A jeweller from Udhgamandalam in nearby Nilgiris district who was on a business trip to the city, stopped the car on the road for having food asking the driver to be alert, police said.
Two persons approached the driver telling him that he had spilled some cash on the road.
As the drivers' attention was diverted looking for money, they took a bag kept inside the car, reportedly containing the cash and fled the scene, they said.