QChennai: Cops Search For Man Who Stole Idols; Woman Foils Robbery

Here is your daily roundup of the top stories from Chennai.

Five statues of ‘vahanams’ were found at the venue and the officials have said that they will soon be taking action to arrest Ranvir Shah.

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1. More Trouble for Businessman Ranvir Shah, 5 Idols Seized from His Office

The businessman’s residence was first raided in September and 89 statues worth more than Rs 100 crore were seized.(Photo: Vikram Venkateswaran/The Quint)

After recovering over 200 idols and artefacts from Chennai-based businessman Ranvir Shah's residence and farmhouse, the Idol Wing on Sunday, 4 November, searched his office in Guindy. Five statues of 'vahanams' were found at the venue and the officials have said that they will soon be taking action to arrest Ranvir Shah.

Idol Wing DSP Sundaram said, "Several artefacts stolen from Tamil Nadu temples are hidden here. They are all statues of 'vahanams'. We got information that there were plans to smuggle these to foreign countries. So we got a search warrant from the Kumbakonam court. We found five vahanams of Perumal – rishabha vahanams. These are over 500 years old. A lot of these idols don’t have the necessary documentation. "

(Source: The News Minute)

2. Chennai Woman Foils ATM Robbery, Rewarded by Cops

The Avadi Tank Factory Police rushed to the spot and nabbed the criminal.(Photo: iStock)

The presence of mind of a 55-year-old woman helped the police to not just thwart an attempt to rob an ATM but also to nab the thief in the outskirts of Chennai in the early hours of Friday, 2 November. According to reports, K Sumathi lives opposite to an ATM kiosk in Kollumedu, Avadi. At around 2.30 am on Friday, she spotted a man standing suspiciously outside the ATM. A few minutes later she saw the man entering the ATM kiosk and trying to open the machine using a screwdriver. Sumathi reportedly alerted her son, who along with a few others, rushed down the road, shut the door of the ATM and downed its shutters, trapping the thief inside the vestibule.

The Avadi Tank Factory Police was immediately alerted. They rushed to the spot and nabbed the criminal. The policemen identified the robber as Theerthamalai from Villupuram and remanded him to judicial custody.

(Source: The News Minute)

3. AIADMK MP Caught on Camera Threatening Cops

The MP allegedly threatened policemen after his car was stopped for a routine security check at 4.30 am.(Photo Courtesy: India.gov.in)

"I am not like everybody, I will finish you... Why are you patrolling here?... Call the DIG, call the SP... Be careful."

These are some of the threats and barbs thrown around by Nilgiris MP, C Gopalakrishnan, to a patrolling officer in Coonoor, as seen in a video that has since gone viral on social media. The MP’s apparent aggression was reportedly in response to his car being stopped for a routine security check at 4.30 am. "How can they stop an MP's vehicle? Especially after they see the AIADMK flag and Amma's picture?" he asked. "This is a political conspiracy against me. They can see that I am growing in my political career. That is why they are doing this," he added.

(Source: The News Minute)

4. 600 Test Positive for H1N1, Dengue Cases Going Down

The state has advised all healthcare workers to protect themselves and use N95 face masks while treating patients.(Photo: iStock)

The state health department is struggling with H1N1 influenza cases, with over 600 people testing positive and a total of 15 deaths across the state. Meanwhile, the number of dengue cases seem to be declining.

On Saturday, 3 November, four people died in Coimbatore due to swine flu, dengue and viral fever. Vasantha, 62, and Ganesan, 57, from Tirupur, were admitted to the government hospital in Coimbatore and died without responding to treatment for swine flu, sources in the hospital said. According to sources, 11 people were currently being treated for swine flu, four for dengue and 52 for a mysterious fever at the Coimbatore GH.

(Source: Deccan Chronicle)

5. Chitlapakkam Residents Fight for the Right to Ask Questions

Even as he is back home, the young man points out that his livelihood is at risk because of the bail conditions imposed on him. Image used for representation only. (Photo: The Quint)

It has been over a week since 29-year-old Balachandar, a resident of Chitlapakkam, was released on conditional bail from the Puzhal prison. He was among the four residents accused of 'inciting riot' against civic officials, merely because they questioned why unauthorised civic work was underway in their locality. Now, even as he is back home, the young man points out that his livelihood is at risk because of the bail conditions imposed on him.

Four residents of Chitlapakkam had asked the Assistant Executive Engineer for the work order of the stormwater and the road digging project that the civic body was carrying out on two streets. When residents demanded answers about the digging, the work had been underway for 15 days.

(Source: The News Minute)