COIMBATORE: Six persons, including a TVK ward-level functionary, were arrested for allegedly trespassing into the premises of the defunct Hindustan Photo Films (HPF) factory in Udhagamandalam in Nilgiris district and illegally transporting around three tonnes of soil, claiming it contained silver particles. Initially, the police arrested three people, including the TVK functionary, a few days back and three more were arrested on Wednesday.
According to police, there have been repeated incidents of people illegally entering the abandoned factory premises and removing soil and stones for sale, claiming they may contain traces of silver and gold that could be sold for profit.
Acting on a tip-off about trespassers inside the HPF campus, Pudumund police from the Nilgiris district conducted patrols and detained three persons — Suresh, Pradeep and Nithish Kumar, residents of Ganapathy Nagar in Udagamandalam. Three others — Ravi alias Sudhakar, Hariharan and Nandhakumar — were arrested on Wednesday and remanded to prison.
During the inquiry, police found that the arrested persons allegedly removed around three tonnes of soil from the factory premises during night hours. Several bags filled with soil and the goods vehicle used for transporting them were seized, said police.
Police said Suresh, the branch secretary of the TVK's second ward in Udhagamandalam, was the prime suspect in the case. A case has been registered by Pudumund police for criminal trespass and theft of soil, and further investigation was on.
The Hindustan Photo Films factory, a central-government undertaking, once manufactured photographic films and related products, and has remained closed for several years after its operations ceased.