7 sent to custody in rocket launchers seizure case

Chennai, Sep 19: A local court in suburban Ambattur has remanded seven accused in connection with the seizure of rocket launchers in Andhra Pradesh, to five days police custody for extensive questioning, The accused Shivaji, Kumar, Ramesh, Arunachalam, Muthusamy and Annamalai, who were arrested during the night-long raid a couple of days back in the city, were produced before the court, which remanded them to police custody last evening.

Of the seven accused, six were owners of engineering firms located at Padi, Korattur and Mogappair on the outskirts of the city, where the rocket launchers and components meant for Maoists in Andhra Pradesh were manufactured in their lathe workshops and foundries.

One Raghu alias Srnivasa Reddy of Nellore had booked the components consignments as spinning mill spares in 54 gunny bags on August 10 last year, 53 jute bags on May nine and 32 bags on May 13 this year.

Initially, the case was registered by the Ambattur Industrial Estate police station under sections 120-B (criminal conspiracy) and 121-A (conspiracy to commit offences punishable by Section 121) of the IPC and Section 8(2) of the Arms Act.

Considering the possibile involvement of naxalites, the case was later transferred to the 'Q' Branch by the Tamil Nadu Director General of Police D Mukherjee.

Meanwhile, the Q Branch police, probing the sensational case have launched a manhunt in Nellore District of Andhra Pradesh to nab the naxal couple--Raghu and his wife Sudharani-- the mastermind behind the manufacture of rocket launchers.

UNI