Gang vandalises grocery on Greams Road, 19 held
CHENNAI: A gang of about 100 men vandalised a supermarket in Thousand Lights on Thursday morning and escaped with goods worth Rs 15 lakh apart from hitting the shop’s manager with a hammer in a rental dispute between the shop’s owner and the landlord.
The victim Kuthbudin (55) has been admitted in a private hospital after having been given first-aid at the Government Royapettah Hospital, while Assistant Commissioner Muthuvelpandi and team rounded up about 50 persons, including a few advocates, and took them to Thousand Lights police station for interrogation.
The incident happened around 8.55 am when manager Kuthbudin and a few staff were in the shop named the Origin on Greams Road. “Initially, 10 men in whites entered the shop and threatened us. A few minutes later, about 100 persons gained entry and started looting. Some of them loaded half of a mini truck and escaped,” said one of the staff who claimed to have witnessed the incident.
The staff rushed to the Thousand Lights and informed police about the shop being looted and a team of police rushed to the spot and locked the miscreants up. Later, senior officials too reached the premises and took the gang members to the police station. It is said that there is an ongoing tussle between the shop owner Shanawaz and the landlord Shafeeka Rafai over the payment of rent and there is a case pending at court. However, since the shopkeeper kept getting direct and indirect threats, police are investigating if she has any role in the incident.
When contacted, a police officer said that 19 people are being remanded, including a few BJP functionaries, in connection with the incident. He also added that Shafeeka Rafai has also been included in the FIR and further investigation is on.