597 Suicides in the Armed Forces in Past 5 Years

According to a Dinamalar report, in a written reply presented to the Lok Sabha, Minister Arun Jaitley said that 597 defence personnel had committed suicide in the past five years. 498 of them were from the Army; 83 from the Air Force; and 16 were from the Indian Navy. 2010 was a particularly bad year because there were 116 suicides that year alone, the highest in the past five years.

There were 1,349 resignations in the armed forces in the past five years, the Minister said.

Elevator crash kills 2 workers near Cuddallore

Dinakaran reports that an elevator had crashed at the construction site of a new thermal power plant near Cuddallore district’s Parangipettai Village, killing two workers. More than 500 workers, mostly from other states, were involved in the construction works.

The accident occurred when workers were on the elevator, carrying out construction works on a 200-meter tall boiler. Suddenly, the elevator’s chord broke and the cage crashed on the ground, killing the two workers. 5 other workers are fighting for their lives at nearby hospitals.

Gang Gets Life Term for Murders of Cab Drivers

The Coimbatore Special Court has given life terms to members of a gang that abducted cab drivers and murdered them.

The gang would hire a tourist cabs for overnight long trips from Pollachi. After covering a considerable distance, they would attack the driver with weapons like crowbar and knives, kill him, and bury the body at a deserted spot. They would then dismantle the car and sell the parts at throwaway prices. The gang had struck twice – in May 2006 and July 2007. Two cab-drivers were killed. They were finally caught in December 2007, when they hired the cab driven by one Balasubramaniam.

Balasubramaniam sensed something sinister and, on the pretext of filling petrol, stopped the car at a petrol station and fled for his life. He then filed a complaint with the police. After a chase, the cops caught the car and arrested one John Anthony, aged about 45 years. The rest had run away. Based on the information given by him, seven other members of the gang were arrested.

Click here for the detailed story, and pictures of the culprits, in Tamil, on the Dinamalar website.

Police Commissioner Launches New Hotline for Victims of Loan Sharks

Chennai’s Commissioner of Police, S. George, has launched a new phone line for victims of loan sharks who charge exorbitant interest rates. Very often these loan sharks resort to threats of physical harm and violence if the borrower fails to pay up the interests. The number to call is 044-25615086.

As soon as the complaint gets registered via this hotline, a copy of it is automatically emailed to the Commissioner.So, swift action is assured.

Man Gets 3 Life Terms for Triple Murders

The Ooty All-Women Court has sentenced a young man for triple life terms for the murder of three persons - two women and a child.

Dharmaraj (33), a resident of Pudhukottai, was in love with a relative of his, named Chandrakala, who lived in Koodalur, Nilgiri district. In 2010, he decided to seek her hand in marriage and turned up at the house of her relative, Vijayakala. The proposal was rejected. Angered by the rejection, Dharmaraj snatched a machete and attacked the two women, grievously injuring them and the 2-year-old daughter of Vijayakala. All three of them died on the spot. 

Click here for the detailed story, in Tamil, on Dinamalar website.