'Boozy' IT professionals held for creating ruckus

Chennai, Dec 22 (UNI) In what is becoming a routine occurence event on weekends on the East Coast Road (ECR), seven software professionals were arrested last night for allegedly creating a ruckus under the influence of alcohol at Panaiyur village on the ECR.

Thirteen other software engineers, including ten women, were let off after severe warning.

Weekend revelry at farmhouses in Neelankarai, Injambakkam, Panaiyur, Uthandi and Muttukadu for those working in software and BPO companies have become a regular thing these days.

But what was becoming even more regular was that many such parties ended up in a ruckus and led to arrests.

Police have also stopped parties whenever there have been complaints of 'nuisance' from neighbours.

Acting on a tip off that one such booze party was on at Panaiyur, a police team rushed to the spot around midnight and found about 20 people, including women, dancing in an inebriated condition.

Ten of them were arrested after doctors certified that they were under the influence of alcohol.

In the last couple of weeks, police have raided nearly ten private farmhouses and arrested employees of IT companies and a multinational bank after they received complaints of nuisance from the public.

Police officials said the owners of private farmhouses on the ECR who rented out their premises for such parties would be warned if the offence is for the first time. But in case of a repeat, police would register a case.

Since the owners of the farmhouses rarely visit the premises and leave it to a watchman for maintaining it, some middlemen utilise this opportunity, bribe the watchmen and let out a portion for parties.

UNI