Police arrest AIADMK candidate, driver

Tiruchirapalli, Tamil Nadu, Oct 16 (UNI) Police today arrested AIADMK candidate R Vanitha and her driver in connection with a fire accident that gutted her car yesterday during the local body polls.

Police said a special police team arrested R Vanitha and her Driver Manikandan (21) under non-bailable sections 427, 435 IPC and Section 3 and 4 of Public Property Damages (Prevention) Act and section 506 (II) IPC.

They will be produced before Judicial Magistrate Court-V later in the day, the police added.

Vanitha's Maruthi car, which was parked near a polling booth at All Saints Middle School in Woraiyur area in the city during the second phase of local body elections, caught fire under mysterious circumstances yesterday.

Ms Vanitha alleged that her car was set ablaze by DMK men.

However, City Police Commissioner Sunil Kumar Singh, in a press conference here last night, said the incident had mysterious undertones. He said nobody was near the car, which was locked and no material was found which could have been an external cause for the fire.

The material seized from the charred car would be sent to the forensic laboratory at Chennai to determine the substance that caused the fire, he added.

UNI GSM AJ RR BS1620