l Miscreants again cut down over 1,200 banana trees at Jedarpalayam in Namakkal district on Sunday. The police have warned of stern action against the culprits.
In March this year, a woman from Karapalayam, near Jedarpalayam, was raped and murdered. The police arrested a minor in this case.
Following the incident, miscreants have damaged private properties and crops in and around Jedarpalayam for the past few months.
Police arrested more than 25 people in connection with these incidents. More than 600 police were deployed in the villages for the past seven months.
Last month, the government handed over compensation for the crop damage to the landowners and also to the family of the deceased woman.
In the early hours of Sunday, unidentified persons entered a farmland owned by Subramani (68) at Kothamangalam, near Jedarpalayam, and cut down 200 arecanut plants and 250 banana trees. The miscreants also cut down over 1,200 banana trees on the farmland owned by Dharmalingam (54) in the same locality.
On information, Namakkal District Superintendent of Police S. Rajesh Kannan visited the spot and conducted enquiry.
The SP said that stern action will be taken against the culprits involved in the incident and they will be detained under the provisions of the Goondas Act. The properties of the accused persons will be seized and auctioned, and compensation will be paid to affected farmers, he added.
Salem Range Deputy Inspector General of Police S. Rajeswari said, “we suspect that people who were released on bail in earlier cases might be involved in the incident. We are investigating from all angles.”
