Thoothukudi: The Thoothukudi district police have detained four associates of prime accused C.Gnanaraj Jebasingh (30), son of former AIADMK Minister S T Chellapandian, in the hijacking of cashew nuts-laden truck, under the Goondas Act.
Sources said the Goondas Act was invoked against K Marimuthu (30), V Senthil Murugan (35), T Rajkumar (26) and S Vishnu Perumal (26) by Thoothukudi District Collector Dr K Senthil Raj, based on the recommendations of Superintendent of Police S Jayakumar.
Jebasingh was detained under the Goondas Act Thursday. All the five and two others S Manoharan (36) and M Pandi (21), involved in the case, were presently lodged in the high security Palayamkottai Central Prison.
They were arrested for hijacking a truck ferrying 16 tonnes of cashew nuts worth Rs 1.10 crore from Kanyakumari to VOC Port at Thoothukudi after assaulting the driver on 26 November.
On being alerted by the truck driver, a special police team from Thoothukudi in coordination with Namakkal police tracked the truck at Thimmanayakan Patti near Rasipuram and arrested all the seven accused.