23-yr-old woman held for posting weapon-wielding videos

COIMBATORE: A young woman has been arrested on Wednesday for posting videos of her wielding weapons on social media by Coimbatore city police.

The posts by Vinothini alias Tamanna, 23, on her Instagram page, Fans call me Tamanna, had a huge fan following among different gangs involved in anti-social activities. Her videos, wielding sickles and knives, with background lyrics belting out acts of violence were also went viral on social media.

Police said Tamanna came under the police scanner when they stepped up monitoring on social media following the recent brutal murder of a youth near the Coimbatore combined court complex. She was also linked with the gang involved in this murder and was posting provocative videos on their Instagram page.

A native of Virudhunagar district, she was arrested for peddling ganja along with a youth in June 2021. She then jumped bail and an arrest warrant was pending. Police said Tamanna befriended wealthy youth and extorted money from them along with her accomplices.

As police launched a hunt after booking her under the Arms Act, Tamanna went hiding. She recently posted a video appealing to police not to search for her, while claiming that her weapon-wielding videos were posted long back and now she has reformed.

The police on Wednesday arrested her in Salem and brought her to Coimbatore. She was subjected to tests at Coimbatore Medical College and Hospital (CMCH) to ascertain if her claim that she was pregnant was true. She was then produced before a judicial magistrate and remanded into judicial custody.