VILLUPURAM: Tension prevailed in Kalvarayan hills as villagers blockaded a police team from Andhra Pradesh, who had come to arrest suspects in a case relating to the murder of a forest department official. Later, after the intervention of local police, the Andhra team left the area with one accused.
Sources said on July 25, Ashok, a forest watcher in Andhra Pradesh, was killed during an operation to arrest red sanders smugglers in Kadapa district. Police filed a murder case against the woodcutters and began to trace them.
A team of Jammalamadugu police found that the suspects hailed from villages near Kalvarayan hills. On Friday, a team of 16 policemen arrived at Kalvarayan hills and contacted Kariyalur police station in Villupuram district. After explaining the case, they sought assistance from the local police.
On Saturday night, they went to Mottaiyanur village in three cars and a bike, along with policemen from Kariyalur. There, they arrested Govindhan (27), and sent him to the Kariyalur police station. The team from Andhra later arrested Sadiyan (40) and Sagadevan (30).
Since the AP cops were in mufti, villagers got suspicious and stopped them. They also began arguing with the policemen and forced them to release Sagadevan and Sadiyan. They also demanded that Govindan be released.
Meanwhile, Kachirapalayam police inspector Rajinikanth reached the area with nearly 50 local policemen and held talks with village representatives. After assuring them that they were policemen from Andhra, he took his counterparts from the neighbouring State to his police station. From there, the Andhra team left with Govindan.