Teen in lockup over handphone dispute

A DISPUTE over a lost handphone landed a 17-year-old girl in a police lockup for two days and her parents are furious, Makkal Osai reported.

The girl’s father said although a report against his daughter was later withdrawn, policemen came to their house at 4pm on Friday to take her away to the Jasin police station.

Relating events that led to the Form Five student’s detention, her father said his daughter and another girl had quarrelled three months ago about a handphone the other girl had allegedly lost.

The other girl then lodged a police report against his daughter, the father said.

“Two policemen came to our house on Friday and took my daughter away.

“They wanted her to confess that she had stolen the phone.

“They also asked me to bring another handphone for her release,” the father said, adding that he gave his own handphone to the police.

He said he had since shuttled between his house and the police station to get back his daughter but she was released only on Sunday evening, the father added.

> Police in Tamil Nadu arrested a man from Kovilpatti for allegedly threatening to bomb the kudankulam nuclear power plant, Tamil Nesan reported.

The 39-year-old suspect was picked up after the police matched his handwriting with that found in letters sent to the power plant management.

The management had earlier received handwritten notes that two workers had been tasked to plant bombs.

The notes were signed by a group calling itself Tirunelveli Pothunala Kuzhu (Tirunelveli Public Welfare Committee).

Similarly, two letters allegedly posted from kovilpatti and addressed to a contract worker were handed over to the police.

Based on this clue and the name in the letters, police zoomed in on Kovilpatti and interrogated several individuals.

The handwriting matched with that of a person named V. Irulappan, who was allegedly involved in a family dispute with a relative working as a contract labourer at the plant.