CHENNAI: The Selaiyur police on Wednesday arrested and interrogated two individuals, including a head constable, for allegedly assaulting and extorting money from two railway contract employees.
The arrested were identified as Arunraj (45), a head constable at the Tambaram police station, and Sathish Kumar (31), former Friends of Police (FoP) member now working in a private company.
Manivannan (31) and Ramesh (33), both from Thanjavur, residing in East Tambaram, were working as temporary employees at the Tambaram Railway Yard.
On August 31, after finishing their shift, the two were drinking alcohol in the railway yard when they were approached by two men claiming to be special police officers who questioned them and without warning, proceeded to attack Manivannan and Ramesh, causing significant injuries.
The attackers then coerced Manivannan and Ramesh into paying Rs 4,000 by threatening them with imprisonment. The victims were forced to withdraw the money from an ATM, with Arunraj and Sathish Kumar ensuring the transaction was completed before releasing them.
Manivannan and Ramesh, who sustained severe injuries, were admitted to the Chromepet Government Hospital. The hospital staff informed the Selaiyur police about the incident.
Upon investigation, Selaiyur police reviewed CCTV footage from the ATM and identified Arunraj and Sathish Kumar as the culprits.
The Selaiyur police arrested both Arunraj and Sathish Kumar and charged them with assault and extortion. The investigation revealed that this pair had a history of targeting couples and drunken individuals in the Chennai suburbs, pretending to be police officers to rob them of their money, jewellery, and cell phones. Despite their history of criminal activity, previous victims had not reported the crimes.