According to police, Rohit went out on a moped on Saturday night. At about 7 pm, a youth asked him for a lift. After they travelled some distance, the youth pulled out a knife, asked to stop the vehicle and follow him. Four more youth joined the two at a particular place.

Sivaji received a call around 9 pm demanding a ransom of Rs 5 lakh and the caller threatened to kill the boy if the money was not paid. Sivaji agreed to give Rs 2 lakh in cash and the balance in the form of silver bars.

While negotiations were on, neighbours came to know of the kidnap and informed the police, who instructed Sivaji to fix a place where the money could be handed over to the captors. The kidnappers told Sivaji to meet them at a remote place in Aryagoundanpatti. The neighbours and the police followed him at a distance. While Sivaji was handing over a bag of money, the police and neighbours swooped down and overpowered the gang.

According to the police, two of the gang members who threatened to knife the boy and tried to get away, were caught. In the melee, Rohit’s hand was injured with a knife. Interrogations revealed that the kidnap was executed by some unemployed youth who wanted to earn some quick money. The arrested include Manikandan (19) and Raj (23) from Selathanpatti, Palanisamy (20), Sivaprakash (23) and Srinivasan (21) from Ariyagoundenpatti.

CoP Sunil Kumar Singh gave a cash award to the team of police that rescued the boy in less than 12 hours.

However, he failed to appear before the court after which the police arrested him from his residence this morning and produced him before the judge.

Police suspected enmity to be the reason behind Durai’s action.
Durai is facing charges of misappropriating Rs three crore from the church funds and was asked to go on leave by the church authorities.

The rowdy Chenna alias Chennakesavalu and his advocate were hacked to death by a 10-member gang while he was having lunch in his car near the court complex where he had come for a trial in an explosives case on 30 April.

Speaking to reporters today, Suburban Police Commissioner S R Jangid said six special teams, formed to catch the culprits, apprehended the four near suburban Parivakkam. Interrogations with them revealed that they were associates of rowdy ‘Arcot’ Suresh, key accused in a murder case.

The murder was a fallout of a personal enmity between ‘Arcot’ Suresh and Chenna, he said and added that the duo had constant trouble for more than 15 years since the former’s wife Anjalai eloped with Chenna.

The Commissioner said that over 21 persons were involved in the whole murder plan however only nine of them were present on the scene of crime. ‘We are on the lookout for 17 more persons who were involved in the crime. We have seized a motorcycle, a car and three sickles from the accused,’ he said.

The arrested were Velmurugan (24) of Nandambakkam, Rakesh (24) of K K Nagar, Satheesh (23) of Kunrathur and Raji (23) of Nandambakkam.

Chenna was residing in Chennai for the past 18 years and set up a gas agency at Pulianthope, he said and added that Chenna was arrested by the police in about 23 criminal offences, most of which ended in acquittal.

He was involved in the murder case of one Vijayakumar in Egmore Court in year 1996 and two other murder case in 2006. He was detained under the Goondas Act in 1994, 1996 and 2003.

‘Arcot’ Suresh was an accused in the murder case of one Srinivasan in Vijayawada in 2002 and Paramasivam of Kancheepuram.

Speaking on the sidelines of a function in Chennai, he said, “a police team will soon visit Bengaluru for the purpose. We have obtained some vital information during our earlier interrogation with Nithyananda”.

Stating that strict action will be taken against those selling adulterated food items, he said, “the police personnel will provide all security to the corporation authorities who conduct raids on such shops”.

However, police said, one of the convoy vehicles coming behind the VCK Chief’s car, was stoned, allegedly by Thevars.

On hearing the news, the VCK workers assembled in front of the statue installed near the Nandanam Signal and tried to damage it, when Teynampet Police acting on information, rushed to the spot and arrested them.

However, no damage was caused to the life size statue of Thevar, who was a veteran freedom fighter and an icon of the dominant Thevar community in southern districts.

Cases of rape, criminal intimidation and cheating have since been filed against the Godman based on various complaints.

Nithyananda had recently announced that he was quitting as the head of his ashram.

PDK General Secratary K Ramakrishnan, who led the demonstration, alleged that the Railway Ministry had shown no interest in conceding the long-felt demand of commuters for more trains.

Only one train operates between the two stations at present.

The PDK agitation was to draw the Centre’s attention to the ‘negligence’ shown to the demands of regular passengers who solely depend on trains, as it is a cheaper mode of transport,

Following complaints from affected people who had given him money ranging from Rs 50,000 to Rs 1.5 lakh, the Cuddalore District police had informed the Immigration authorities, who detained him at the airport soon after his arrival.

They informed the Cuddalore district police about his detention following which a special team headed by Inspector M Ratnavel went to Chennai, arrested him and brought here for questioning.

If need arose, his party would block supply of essential commodities being transported to Kerala from Tamil Nadu if it continued with it efforts to construct the dam.

Asra Garg, SP, said the quacks had passed only Class X, Class XII and PUC. Some of the quacks were treating patients for 20 to 30 years.
The quacks were arrested under the Indian Medical Council Act. The drive against quacks would continue in other parts of the district, the SP added.

When Express contacted Tirunelveli Range DIG KP Shanmuga Rajeswaran said that medical practitioners were authorised to do practice only in a particular field and if they were found practising in unauthorised fields, they would be booked as per law, he added.

The arrested quacks were Papanasam (69) of Vaigaikulam, Indrani(40) of Bramadesam, Ravindran(37), Ramasami(64) of Kallidaikurichi, Manikavasakam (58) of Kela Earmalpuram, Purusothaman (40) of Kela Ambur, Thangarajan (50) of Alwarkurichi, and Annamalai Nagapan (49) of Vikramasingapuram.