The Hindu : Police team back from AP, clueless

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Tuesday, Apr 29, 2003

Southern States

Southern States - Tamil Nadu

Police team back from AP, clueless

By K.T. Sangameswaran

CHENNAI APRIL 28. While the police are keeping open their views on possible motives to the murder of three persons and looting of a jewellery shop at Vellore on April 18, a team, which left for Andhra Pradesh, has returned empty-handed. However, one more team is still in the neighbouring State, making enquiries.

Soon after the incident, which caused panic at Vellore, the police strongly suspected the hand of extremists, particularly from Andhra Pradesh, as the State border is not far away. While exploring this possibility, the police also took up investigation to find out whether extremists in Tamil Nadu had a hand in the killings.

When contacted, police sources told The Hindu that one of the two teams returned from Andhra Pradesh without obtaining any clue to the robbers. "However, investigation from this angle has not been closed. We are exploring all possibilities", a senior officer said.

The sources, however, expressed a doubt whether extremists belonging to Andhra Pradesh or Tamil Nadu would have been involved, going by the "amateurish manner" in which the culprits went about their job. Usually, the ultras do not commit robberies for looting a small amount. In the Vellore incident, the police claimed that the robbers took away jewellery worth Rs. 50,000. Also, it is not the normal practice for extremists to open fire without any grave provocation, as they know the consequences. Meticulous planning goes into the operations, which are conducted when there is not much of a crowd, say the sources.

Thus, while the probe is being conducted systematically, other possible reasons for the killings such as business rivalry and personal animosity are also looked into, say the sources.

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