Cops get three-day custody of smuggler

VELLORE: The Egmore Court on Monday granted the Vellore District Police three days custody of Thirupathy, prime accused in the murder attempt on Paniyandapalli panchayat Village Assistant (VA) S Rajendran.Thirupathy, a notorious sand smuggler and a resident of Annasagaram Village in Mallapalli panchayat, surrendered before the V Metropolitan Magistrate in Egmore, Chennai, on May 15 in connection with the murder attempt of the VA. The sand smuggler, along with five others, had allegedly tried to bury the Village Assistant alive in a pit in the Kottaru Riverbed near Tirupattur on May 12 when he tried to prevent them from mining sand illegally. Sources in the police department said the Egmore court granted police custody to Thirupathy for three days till May 23. “We have to produce him before the Judicial Magistrate Court III in Tirupattur Combined Court on May 23,” said a senior police officer.  Earlier, four persons, including a 14-year-old boy, were  arrested in connection with the case.