COIMBATORE: A 29-year-old woman on Tuesday sought Coimbatore district police's intervention for rescuing her husband, reportedly arrested by Andhra Pradesh police on February 11 on charges of allegedly stealing 25 tonnes of rice while transporting the consignment in his lorry.
In a petition, the woman Vaneeshwari, wife of 39-year-old Ravichandran, from Stanes Colony in Ondipudur denied the charges and alleged that the police department of the neighbouring state was trying to frame her husband in a false case.
Corroborating her claim, she said her husband had bought a lorry in November last year under a lease agreement. The vehicle was operated only between Chennai and Coimbatore, she said, adding that the original documents of the vehicle were stolen on January 19 when it was parked on a private space on Tiruchy Road in Coimbatore.
"In February first week, a person named Sathyanarayanan from Andhra Pradesh contacted my husband asking for the consignment (25 tonnes of rice) transported from Andhra Pradesh. He said the good was not delivered. Despite clarifying that we had not accepted any such consignments and deviated from our usual route (Chennai - Coimbatore), Sathyanarayanan along with a police team attached with Rayapuram police station in Andhra forcibly took my husband into the custody on February 11," she claimed in the petition.
The lorry was also seized by Andhra Pradesh police, she added.
"Though we have sufficient evidence to prove innocence, Andhra Pradesh police are not interested to look into it. Instead, they arrested my husband on theft charges and are physically torturing him in prison to accept the charge," Vaneeshwari alleged.
The petition was referred to Sulur police station for preliminary inquiry on Tuesday evening, police sources said.