Chennai: Last month suspect was an adult, now a juvenile

Chennai: In a classic case showing the scant regard the police have for the age of suspects they arrest, a youth who was remanded to judicial custody in Puzhal prison for a previous crime, has now been lodged in the Juvenile home in Kelly’s. This happened only after a magistrate in Alandur court raised a doubt about the age of the suspect.

The suspect, who has not completed 18 years of age, has been in the regular list of suspects in police stations including Guindy, Adambakkam, Madipakkam, Velachery and Adambakkam.

“He was arrested by Velachery police earlier this month. He was sent to Puzhal jail and then was out on bail. When he went to sign at Velachery police station on the 14th day, Madipakkam police arrested him for stealing bikes,” his mother Krishnaveni, a fish vendor, said.

After arresting the boy, the Madipakkam police produced him before the Alandur magistrate, who asked the cops to produce an age certificate of the accused as he had a doubt about his age. The police maintained that he was not a minor.

When Madipakkam police was taking him to get his age proof, the boy escaped. Later, the family handed him over to the police with an age certificate from school which showed he was still a minor.

“The boy was remanded by Chengalpet Juvenile justice board and now lodged in Kelly’s home,” a police officer of St Thomas Mount station, which is handling the case of his escape from custody, told DC.

Krishnaveni claimed that cops from all neighbouring police stations have been accusing him of various crimes and picking up her son.

“My husband had stopped coming home. My son-in-law is threatening to divorce my pregnant daughter because of regular police harassment. If something happens to me and my family, the police are responsible,” Krishnaveni said.