CHENNAI: A group of men allegedly vandalised houses and vehicles at Veeravanallur village near Tiruttani on Monday night, after being reprimanded for harassing a Class 10 student.
Based on a complaint, Tiruttani police arrested five persons: Kishore M (22), Arunkumar M (19), Vijay M (26), Pargunam M (19) and Meganathan M (26), all from VCR Kandigai. Efforts are on to trace the remaining suspects, police said.
According to police, the girl, a student of a government school in Amirthapuram, was returning home from pubic exam with her brother on a bike when a group of men, allegedly under the influence of alcohol, verbally harassed her along a secluded stretch. Her brother reprimanded them before leaving the spot.
A few hours later, the men, along with around 10 others, returned to the village on bikes, armed with hammers, knives and wooden logs, and attempted to identify the girl’s house. When they were unable to locate it, the gang went on a rampage, damaging houses, pelting stones at windows and vandalising vehicles before fleeing, police said. Following the incident, over 50 residents staged a road blockade, disrupting traffic for nearly an hour.