Tamil Nadu   

Assault with a deadly weapon: chilli powder

Crime in the Union Territory appears to have taken a new dimension with the two incidents of robbery in which chilli powder was sprinkled on the face of the victims and ornaments and lakhs of rupees in cash were robbed.

In one such incident, a group of jewellery dealers from Chennai were waylaid during the wee hours by masked men in two-wheelers and decamped with more than one kg of gold and 22 kg of silver after sprinkling chilli powder on their face.

Just a week after that, in broad daylight a petrol bunk cashier was robbed of Rs.13 lakh in a similar manner. The incident took the law enforcement agencies by surprise, as it was the first crime of its kind reported in the Union Territory.

Apparently, the two incidents are not interlinked and the veracity of the second incident was still being investigated because of the conflicting statements given by the cashier, according to Chhaya Sharma, Senior Superintendent of Police, Law and Order.

However, separate teams of the Special Task Force wing of the police have been formed to investigate the cases. The team investigating the robbery had already visited Chennai to gather information about similar crimes that happened in various districts of Tamil Nadu, including the recent incidents in Cuddalore and Villupuram.

The investigation has been narrowed down to five persons, with previous involvement in robberies and who have been released recently from jail. However, the police are keeping all options open.

Police said they have already passed on information about the suspects to the Tamil Nadu police and are working in close coordination with them. The Senior Superintendent of Police said it would take a few more days for them to crack the case, particularly the one in which the jewellery dealers were robbed.

In order to boost security, the police have increased day and night patrolling and installed permanent checkposts bordering the three neighbouring districts of Tamil Nadu.

Checkposts have been put at Kanakachettikulam, Navakulam, Muthialpet, Sonapalayam, Marappalam, Abhishekapakkam, Muludi, Gorimedu, Pathukannu, Madhagadipet, and Sedrapet. Besides the presence of two constables with walky-talkies in the checkposts, officers would make routine visits and conducts vehicle checks in these places. A senior officer said the initiative was to plug at least the main routes to the neighbouring districts taken by criminals after committing offences here.

Soon, those manning the checkposts would be provided with the photographs of known offenders in the Union Territory and the numbers of stolen vehicles.

The territorial police have also decided to interact more closely and share crime related information with their counterparts in Villupuram and Cuddalore. A joint meeting has been planned in the beginning of next month, according to senior officials.

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