Family selling ganja for 25 years arrested in Vellore

Tirupattur SP P Vijayakumar told reporters that efforts were on to trace and impound the family’s property worth several crores in about 40 places.

The arrested were identified as Maheswari (38) her daughters Usha and Kavya and son Devendran while husband Srinivasan and another henchman escaped. Three minors used by the family to sell both hooch and ganja were sent back home as they were too young to be even sent to the government remand home.

The woman police constable Surya whose arm was broken when she was pushed to the ground during the raid was admitted to the Ambur Government Hospital.

Vijayakumar said that Maheswari had been detained under the Goondas Act 10 times but had refused to change for the better. Acting on a tip off, police surrounded the family’s Pachakuppam house on Tuesday morning. When the family came out, Maheswari and Srinivasan initially argued with the police and then when they tried to escape, they were arrested and remanded.

During the arrest and subsequent interrogation there was a marked reluctance among some police personnel and pressmen to snap pictures of the accused. Maheswari turned abusive when being photographed and threatened that she would have her revenge against such turncoats when she came out of prison.

Vijayakumar said that local registrar’s offices were being approached by the police to trace the location of Maheswari’s properties to ensure that such properties purchased with ill-gotten gains were impounded by the government.