COIMBATORE: Friday turned out to be a day of wild goose chase for journalists and lensmen in Coimbatore as even before dawn broke word spread that Ravanan, an influential relative of Sasikala Natarajan, was arrested. Frantic calls to top cops yielded a blank response heightening the suspense. Curiously for all the importance that the ‘VIP accused’ enjoyed during his good times, not many can even identify Ravanan. In this backdrop, the journalists began taking every bit of speculation seriously and went on a blind mission to catch a glimpse of Ravanan. One such chase led to the Chettipalayam Police Station on the outskirts of the city in the morning. A couple of policemen who spotted the cameras hanging on the necks of photographers shut all the windows and the door of the station. They went a step further by locking up the main gate and turned away a few complainants. Added to this was the flurry of high profile activities on the route leading to the Chettipalayam police station. Senior officers were spotted in their cars. One of them told a journalist that “we have come to question an accused in connection with a crime which took place in our jurisdiction” All this led to inference that the accused must be Ravanan and that he was inside the Chettipalayam station. In the meantime, another media group rushed to the District Magistrate’s court after hearing that he would be produced there. Both wait turned out to be a waste as no one actually ‘spotted’ Ravanan. The suspense intensified later with senior officers privately admitting that Ravanan was arrested but they would provide the info only in the evening. Later, a press release revealed that not only Ravanan, but his PA, Mohan, too was arrested. The police also said that the duo were arrested from Ravanan’s residence in the afternoon. Around 9 p.m, police produced the two at the residence of the Mettupalayam Judicial Magistrate Rafiq, where some journalists finally managed to catch a glimpse of him.’ Both were senetnced to 15-day judicial remand.
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