CHENNAI: A 21-year-old engineering student, who was returning home from college, was killed after a camera tower set up by the forest department fell on him, in the Tiruvallur district on Wednesday evening.
The deceased is R Dineshkumar from Perumal Koil Street in Mamandur village. Police said Dineshkumar was a fourth-year engineering student.
Police said in the evening when he was going home from college, it started raining with accompanying wind. He took cover near a 35-foot-camera tower on the Vengal-Seethanjeri road in the Kalpattu bus stand.
“At around 4.30 PM, the wind picked up and the camera tower collapsed and fell on him,” said the police. Passersby rescued Dineshkumar and rushed him to a hospital, where he was declared dead on arrival.
After an investigation, Vengal police said the tower was erected by the forest department six years ago. “The forest near the village contains a large number of red sandalwood trees and the camera mounted atop the tower keeps a watch on the thieves,” added the police.