Suicide bid at police station

Tension prevailed for a short while at the police commissionerate in Vepery on Monday morning after two women and a man attempted to commit suicide by setting themselves ablaze.

The police personnel intervened and saved the trio in the nick of time.

The police identified the three as Kavitha (37) of Angamuthu Naicker Street, Royapettah, her mother Vasanthi (55) and uncle Chandru (51).

Kavitha claimed, in 2007, she married a man who claimed to be a bank employee. Two months after the wedding, she realised she had been cheated, after her husband was involved in a criminal case.

She then lodged a cheating complaint against her husband and demanded he return the 60 sovereigns of gold and cash he had taken as dowry. Claiming lack of sufficient police action in the case, Kavitha and her kin attempted suicide at the commissionerate. The three were detained, and further investigation is on, said the police.

Immolation bid outside Secretariat

In another incident, a man who attempted self-immolation outside the State Secretariat was detained by policemen on duty.

The man was identified as Radhakrishnan, a garment shop owner from Cuddalore, who claimed his house and shop were razed to the ground in February, following a court order.

His livelihood had been affected, he claimed.