Chennai: Three persons died in fatal road accidents and close to 300 were treated for minor injuries as lakhs descended on the city’s roads on New Year’s Eve. This happened in spite of the pre-emptive measures taken by the city police, such as installing blinkers along the roads and additional checkpoints to aid the public. Of the three fatal accidents, rashly driven auto rickshaws claimed the lives of two people in separate accidents in the city, the police said.
In one incident, Lakshmi (70) was walking back home along the Kilpauk Garden Road after visiting a temple when she got knocked down by an auto. Locals moved her to a nearby hospital where she died on Thursday morning. In another incident in Secretariat Colony, Rajesh, (35), a resident of Secretariat Colony, was returning on his two-wheeler with his friend, Sridhar, when a rashly driven auto knocked them down on New Avadi Road. “Rajesh died in the hospital while his friend is undergoing treatment,” said a police officer.
In another incident at Chetty Thottam in Saidapet, Venkatesan, (26), was killed when he hit a pedestrian platform, losing balance on his bike. The deceased Venkatesan, a Kodambakkam resident, worked in a poultry shop, the police said. At least 280 persons were treated in the emergency wards of the four major government hospitals in the city since Wednesday night. According to hospital sources, most of those who were admitted had come with injuries incurred by drunken driving and overspeeding, which the police chose to ignore on New Year’s Eve.
“We had our entire strength, numbering more than 18,000, including senior cops on the field to ensure a smooth show. Our idea was to play an advisory role and not to play spoilsport in the people’s celebrations on the first day of the year,” a senior police officer said.“Instead of fining the drunk drivers, we made the drunk drivers sit near the checkpoints and after they turned sober, we let them go.”
Two youths arrested for death of college student
Mangadu police moved the college student’s body to the Government Royapettah hospital for post-mortem. “The youth suffered injuries on his spine which led to his death,” an investigating officer said.Later in the day, Mangadu police arrested two youth Suresh (21) and Karunakaran (23) in connection with the murder. However, city police have not booked a case of murder.
“We have booked only a case of culpable homicide as there was no intent to kill the youth and he died after being pushed down from the bike,” said a senior police officer.
Fatal fall: Meanwhile, in K.K.Nagar, a 50-year-old government bus conductor, accidentally slipped from the second floor of a lodge he was staying in and died. Ganesh of Valparai, was talking to his friends late at night when he slipped and fell to his death, according to the police.
Burglars flee in car with gold
Nearly 90 soverereings of gold and a car were looted in Tambaram district alone on Thursday as burglars had a field day taking advantage of empty houses on New Year’s Eve.
Burglars decamped with gold jewellery from a retired government officer’s house and drove away in the car parked in his house. Police said that John, (70), a resident of Mappedu, had locked his house and gone to a relative’s place in Poonamalee.
When he returned, he found the door broken open and the valuables missing. “The burglars took away 50 sovereigns of gold, an LED TV and digital camera. They also stole John’s hatchback from his house, putting the loot in the vehicle,” the police said. The Selayur police have registered a case and are investigating. In another incident, at least 25 sovereigns worth of gold jewellery was reported stolen from a techie’s house in Chittalapakkam.
The police said that burglars looted the house of Sankarapandian, (44), a resident of TNGO colony here. The victim returned home after midnight to find the door broken open. The Pallikaranai police are investigating.Two cases of chain snatching were reported within Madipakkam police limits wherein two women were relieved of chains worth six sovereigns each, police sources said.
