2 siblings held for setting fire to truck and staging drama
Based on a complaint, the police registered a case and inquiries revealed that Selvaraj had conspired with his brother Prabhu, 36 to set fire to the truck.
Two brothers in police custody in Salem
COIMBATORE: Two brothers, who set fire to a truck after stealing cotton bales worth Rs 30 lakh and cooked up a drama that it gutted on its own, were arrested by the police in Salem on Monday.
According to police, Meiyarasan, 27 from Ramamoorthy Nagar in Salem, who runs a transport firm, had engaged Selvaraj, 38, to transport urea from Mettur to Bijapur. Police said Selvaraj was accompanied by one Dharman.
After delivering the urea, Selvaraj was returning with a load of 140 bales of cotton from Maharashtra. It was to be unloaded in Virudhunagar district. Selvaraj, however claimed that the lorry went up in fire, while nearing Thomas Colony near Sangagiri in Salem on 5 August.
Based on a complaint, the police registered a case and inquiries revealed that Selvaraj had conspired with his brother Prabhu, 36 to set fire to the truck.
“They stole 92 bales of cotton worth around Rs 30 lakh before setting fire to the vehicle with the remaining 48 bales. Meiyarasan also did not doubt them until investigations revealed the truth,” police said.
Police recovered the stolen cotton bales and arrested the duo, who had planned to sell them to buy a new truck for themselves. A search is on for two more persons involved in the offence.
