Man set ablaze over cigarette row

The victim, Krishnamoorthy from Tiruvannamalai, is a construction labourer in the city. 

According to police, Krishnamoorthy was sleeping on the pavement near the bus stop on North Mada Street in Tiruvanmiyur when Vijayaraj, an auto driver, approached him asking for a cigarette. His friend Govindaraj, also an auto driver, was filling petrol into the auto from a bottle at that time. When Krishnamoorthy refused to give them the cigarette, Govindaraj poured the petrol on him. The duo then set him on fire and escaped on their vehicles.

Hearing Krishnamoorthy’s cries, others sleeping on the pavement came to his assistance and took him to a hospital. Police obtained the registration numbers of the two autorickshaws with the help of the CCTV footage, and managed to track down the owners. Both were arrested and remanded in judicial custody.

A few days ago, a man had died after coming under the wheels of an MTC bus when he was chased by two inebriated men, who were asking him for gutkha. 

Two persons were arrested for allegedly snatching a mobile phone from a pedestrian in Kothavalchavadi. Police said that when the victim, Palanivel of Kothalsavadi, was walking on Dada Muthiappan Street, two men followed him and snatched his mobile phone. Police launched a search for the suspects and arrested Selvam (23) and Vinoth (34) of Old Washermenpet and seized a mobile phone from them. Both were remanded in judicial custody.

The Customs officers seized gold worth Rs 36 lakh and foreign currencies worth Rs 18.5 lakh from three air passengers at Chennai airport on Thursday. Gold bars, weighing 1.2 kg, were seized from baggage of Mohamed Kasim (30) and Ismail (35), who arrived Kuala Lumpur. While checking the passengers boarding a flight to Singapore, the officers seized US dollars’ worth Rs 18.5 lakh and detained Mohamed (34) from Ramanathapuram.

City police have arrested two persons for cheating 59 people of Rs 23 lakh on the promise of buying them houses built by Tamil Nadu Slum Clearance Board. According to police, Lakshmi of Old Washermentpet, convinced Rekha that her friend Suresh, working as writer in TNSCB, could get them allotments in the houses. Believing her, Rekha of Kodambakkam and her friends gave Lakshmi Rs 40,000 each. Then, Lakshmi and Suresh, along with Sayeed Rahim and Manivannan, provided them fake allotment letters. Based on a complaint, police have arrested Lakshmi and Syeed Rahim, and have launched a hunt for Suresh and Manivannan.