VELLORE: A special police team nabbed three persons, including a 14-year-old boy, in connection with the murder attempt of the village assistant of Paniyandapalli panchayat, S Rajendran (51), when he tried to stop them from illegally mining sand at the Kottaru riverbed on Saturday evening.
The police nabbed the trio — Yuvaraj (24) of Annasagaram village, Nagan (alias) Prabkaran (22) and Murthy (minor’s name changed) (14) of Athiyur village — at Athiyur junction near Tirupattur on Thursday morning.
“We arrested them when they tried to board a bus,” said a police officer. They were absconding since Saturday after they tried to bury alive the VA in a pit on the riverbed.
“Murthy was studying in class VII in a nearby school.
He accompanied the sand smugglers to help them load sand in the tractor to earn some money to support his family.
However, he was caught in a criminal case and ended up in a juvenile home,” said a police source.
Rajendran, the victim, said that the boy had fled from the spot as soon as he reached the riverbed.
“I saw a small boy along with the sand smugglers when I reached the spot. He ran into the mango grove adjacent to the riverbed after he saw me. The other five persons led by Tirupathy assaulted me and threw me into the pit,” said Rajendran.
According to a senior police officer the 14-year-old boy has been sent to the Government Juvenile Home for Boys at Kellys in Chennai, while the two others have been remanded to the Vellore Central Prison for Men.
The police have registered a case against the six under various sections including 506 (II), 353 and 307 of IPC and 3 (1) (A) of SCs/STs (Prevention of Atrocities) Act 1989. “The senior police officers will look into the case and will take further course of action. They will also consider the boy’s future,” said the official.
The police have already arrested 19-year-old Sekar, a resident of Annasagaram, on Monday in connection with the same case, while the prime accused, Tirupathy, and one of his aide Govindaraj surrendered before the V Metropolitan Magistrate in Egmore on Tuesday.