After breaking open the door in wee hours, the gang took hostage a three-year-old child at knife-point and threatened the family to part with the valuables.
The gang took away 220 sovereigns of gold ornaments and unspecified quantity of silver utensils from a steel almirah and escaped under the cover of darkness, police said.
On information, senior police officers, including Ramanathapuram DIG Ramasubramaniam, and forensic experts visited the house.
Sniffer dogs were pressed into service and a hunt is on for the dacoits, they said.
