Jail staff uses ex-prisoners to threaten woman; suspended

CHENNAI: The Chief Head Warden at the Vellore prison has been suspended after being accused of using ex-prisoners to intimidate an elderly woman in Madurai in a land dispute. The suspension came after a First Information Report (FIR) was filed against him and two others, four months after the incident.

The suspended official has been identified as K. Senthil Kumar, Chief Head Warder at the Vellore Central Prison. According to officials, he took two ex-prisoners, Kavathu Tirupathi and Joseph Arogyaswami, with him to threaten Pandiyammal and her daughter in connection with a land issue in Madurai.

Kumar, who had previously worked at Madurai Central Prison for over 14 years, allegedly enlisted the help of the two ex-prisoners to coerce Pandiyammal into relinquishing her land. Kumar claims that Pandiyammal did not fully repay a loan of Rs 3 lakh she borrowed from one of his relatives. Although Pandiyammal asserted that she had settled the loan, Kumar attempted to seize her land.

Tirupathi and Joseph reportedly subjected the two women to verbal abuse and death threats if they refused to surrender the land as demanded by Kumar. Tirupathi allegedly warned the women that he had a criminal record with over 20 cases against him, having been detained 10 times under the Goondas Act. He further threatened to dismember them if they did not comply.

The incident took place on February 6 of this year, and despite Pandiyammal filing a complaint at Jaihindpuram police station in Madurai, no action was taken by the local police. Subsequently, she approached the court, and on the order of a judicial magistrate, an FIR was finally registered against the three individuals on June 6. Tirupathi and Joseph were apprehended, while Kumar is currently evading arrest, according to sources.