Salem VAO attacked for foiling sand smuggling

COIMBATORE: Even before shock waves over the cold blooded murder of a village administrative officer (VAO) in Thoothukudi is yet to fade out, another VAO in Salem came under attack, but escaped narrowly from facing a similar fate.

A member of the ‘soil mafia’ intercepted and chased Vinod Kumar (32), an VAO at Manathal village in Omalur Taluk, with a sickle on Friday in revenge for foiling his attempt to smuggle the ‘gravel soil’.

Acting on a tip, the VAO caught a tractor laden with one unit of gravel sand near Thandavanur on 18 April. As inquiries revealed that the sand was smuggled from a farm land owned by one Muthusamy in same locality, the VAO visited the spot, accompanied by police personnel from Tholasampatti station and as well as officials from the Department of Geology and Mines to seize an earth digger and a tractor.

On receiving a complaint from the Geology and Mines Department officials, the Tholasampatti police booked G Sithuraj, (39) of Manathal and R Viji of Upparapatti under IPC section 21 (i) of the Mines and Mineral (Development and Regulation) Act. A search is on to nab the absconding culprits.

On Friday morning, while the VAO was heading to Manathal, Sithuraj intercepted his bike at Karattur pirivu road near Tholasampatti. “Sithuraj hurled abuses, snatched away his cell phone and also manhandled the VAO. When he further attempted to attack him with a sickle, Vinod Kumar managed to flee on his bike. Not to let him off, Sithuraj too chased him in his two-wheeler. The VAO then reached the Tholasampatti police station to take refuge and sought protection,” police said.

The police registered a case, based on a complaint from the VAO and a search is on to nab the culprit. It was on 25 April that Lourdhu Francis, the VAO of Murappanadu in Thoothukudi district was hacked to death at his office by members of the sand mafia.