Chennai: Tamil Nadu chief minister K Palaniswami on Thursday (August 15) presented the special bravery award to the elderly couple who reside in Tirunelveli district. They had recently fought off armed thieves with plastic chairs and slippers.

CM Palaniswami awarded the couple P Shanmugavelu and his wife Senthamarai with gold medals for their bravery along with Rs 2 lakh cash.

Shanmugavelu and Senthamarai had fought off the armed thieves at their residence and the entire incident was caught on CCTV camera.

Also watch: Tamil Nadu: Elderly couple fights off armed robbers in Tirunelveli; Amitabh Bachchan joins Twitterati to praise pair

Shanmugavelu was sitting in his porch when an armed, masked man crept from behind. The thief tried to strangulate an unsuspecting Shanmugavelu but soon after Senthamarai came out to find the thief.

She immediately began hurling footwear, plastic stools and other such household items at the robbers. By which time, Shanmugavelu freed himself and also joined his wife in attacking the armed robbers.

The robbers, although armed, ran away from the spot when they were retaliated.

The incident brought widespread media attention on the couple. So much so that even Bollywood celebrity, Amitabh Bachchan had tweeted praising the couple.

The couple was awarded on Independence Day along with ISRO chairman K Sivan as the recipient of APJ Abdul Kalam award. Sivan will receive the award at a later date as he was not present on Thursday.

The award is for contribution to scientific development, students welfare and humanities.

Kalpana Chawla award for courage was presented to P Ramyalakshmi, assistant director, Fisheries, Cuddalore. The award consists of Rs 5 lakh cash and a medal.