4 held for ostracising K’giri couple

Four people, including the key accused Raghavan, had been demanding Rs 3 lakh from the complainant, Chandru, as he married a woman outside his caste, a police official said. The couple got married last year.

Chandru said that his family and that of his wife were ostracised soon after their wedding. Later, there was some reconciliation between the families and villagers.

However, Raghavan and three others recently started demanding money from the family, Chandru added.

In his complaint, Chandru said the accused threatened him and his wife with dire consequences if they did not pay up the so called penalty. He added that Raghavan and a few others recently locked his house and fenced it with barbed wire, forcing his parents to live in a hut, thus intimidating the aged people.

Acting on Chandru’s complaint, the police removed the barbed wire and arrested the four accused. The four have been booked for extortion, house-trespass and criminal intimidation, the police said. Chandru said the police had assured the family of security after the incident.