CHENNAI: CB-CID police on Friday arrested two men in connection with the abduction and murder of a 73-year-old doctor from Dindigul in May.

Police are looking for more people involved in the case.

The victim Dr Baskar was kidnapped by a gang on April 30. Based on his wife Vanitha’s complaint, police registered a case. The abductors contacted Vanitha demanding Rs 5 crore, but murdered him and dropped the body in Pollachi. The body was found on May 8.

Initially, the case was investigated by the local police. The issue was raised in assembly and chief minister M Karunanidhi directed CB-CID officials to conduct a probe. The case was forwarded to the CB-CID last month and special teams were formed.

On Saturday, CB-CID officials declared the arrest of prime accused Karthik (35) of Dindigul and Umar (32) of Palani. “We have nabbed the accused from a hide-out in Dindigul. Based on their confession, a team has been sent to arrest the remaining accused involved in the case. We may get a positive result on Sunday,” a senior CB-CID officer said. Initial inquiries revealed that the gang abducted the doctor only to make money.

The arrested men were remanded in judicial custody after being produced before a magistrate court in Dindigul.

COIMBATORE: Two-wheeler major TVS Motor has tied up with Pollachi-based polytechnic Nachimuthu Polytechnic College to jointly offer a diploma
programme in mechanical engineering.

The admission to the programme would be based on merit, as per Directorate of Technical Education (DTE) norms would be open to students who have completed SSLC, TVS Motor Senior Vice-president (HR and Total Quality Control) V Kovaichelvan told reporters here today.

Faculty from both the College and the company, comprising engineers and managers with relevant experience would conduct the programme, which would be based on customized curriculum to suit the need of TVS Motor and its associate companies, he said.

Under the agreement, TVSM would bear the entire cost of the diploma programme and on successful completion of the programme, students would be placed in any of the TVS companies.

Consistent academic performance, aptitude and attitude would also be taken into consideration for the three and half year programme, approved by AICTE and DTE, M Manickam, Chairman of the college, who signed the MOU with Kovaichelvan, said.

To start with 30 students would be admitted for the course Manickam said.

Here’s the latest about ace director Mani Ratnam. The filmmaker has replaced his Raavan cameraman Manikandan from the next schedule that’s starting from June 3 in Pollachi. Ace cinematographer Santosh Sivan is almost certain to be the replacement. Manikandan was finding it difficult to give continuous dates as he had commited for a film with Shah Rukh Khan starting in June. Mani’s film was supposed to be completed by the end of April, but was delayed due to various reasons, one of which was the director’s recent ill health.
We hear that Santosh Sivan (who has worked with Mani on films like Roja and Dil Se) readily agreed to do the rest of Raavan.

This small town 35km from Coimbatore has emerged as the shooting hub of a large number of Tamil films in the last decade.

Earlier, only films with rural themes used to be shot in the green fields in and around Pollachi. The town also had only two medium-sized hotels to accommodate the biggest of stars. Now, Pollachi has a special toned up look and that is because of its to-be visitor, superstar Rajnikanth, who is to set foot in town in a few days. Kuselan is due to start its next schedule of shoot there and apparently, a hectic search is on to find suitable accommodation for Rajni who has graciously said, he would stay wherever the rest of the actors and the unit are put up.

The superstar was supposed to have been particular only about the location of his place of stay, as he didn’t want crowds thronging his workplace.

But this is the single most difficult thing for the Kuselan unit.

The reason is there are two shooting units that are already in Pollachi working night and day.

Simbu’s Silambattam and Captain Vijayakanth’s Enga Aasaan are under production in this picturesque town and hence, the best hotels are already full. Even if they do get the hotels, the unit is confused as to whether they can put up a superstar with the rest of the actors.

Usually, when Rajni or Kamal shoot in Pollachi, they stay in director-actor Manivannan’s guest house but because Rajni had put in a request to be with the Kuselan cast and crew, the onus of finding accommodation befitting his status is the unit’s priority at hand.

The film has some awesome action scenes which are very crucial to the story. After completing the Chennai schedule, the unit has now left for Pollachi to shoot a song for the film.

According to sources in the industry, Prabhu Deva wants to shoot the ultimate Kuthu song for the film. Remember some of the most popular Kuthu numbers in Tamil cinema have featured our Ilayathalapathy. One of the major highlights of Vijay- Prabhu Deva’s earlier Pokkiri was the songs and its picturisation. Who can forget the chartbusting kuthu number Mambazham ma…?

Similarly in Villu, music director Devi Sri Prasad is said to have composed a mass kuthu number which will be picturised on Vijay and Nayanthara in Pollachi this week. The song, it is believed, is sure to make the fans of the star happy.

COIMBATORE: Tamil Nadu Governor P S Ramamohan Rao will inaugurate a multi-utility centre, built in the memory of Nachimuthu Gounder, a leading
industrialist of the region, on August 29 in Pollachi.

The Rs1.5-crore Nachimuthu Gounder Centenary Centre would house courts for badminton, volleyball, a photo gallery and a 4,000 capacity auditorium, Prof C Ramasamy, Secretary, NIA educational institutions told reporters here on Monday.
The centre was built to commemorate the birth centenary of Nachimuthu, the founder of Shakthi groups of companies, he said.

Former Maharashtra Chief Minister Sharad Pawar would be the chief guest at the function, Ramasamy said.

Reason: The Baadshah of Bollywood Shah Rukh Khan is shooting for his home production Billoo Barber in the picture postcard village, which has now become Kollywood’s favourite location. The Priyadarshan-directed film is a remake of Katha Parayumbol, which was recently made as Kuselan in Tamil. The buzz created by Shah Rukh, who plays the role of a superstar in the film, is unbelievable.

It’s fan frenzy never seen before in Pollachi, where most of Tamil cinema’s village scenes and Koothu songs are regularly picturised. People in fancy cars and mini- buses from Kochi, Trichur, Bangalore and Coimbatore have been coming to catch a glimpse of King Khan. “SRK has been overwhelmed by the kind of reception he has been getting from fans in Pollachi. In Billoo Barber, Irfan Khan is the hero while Shah Rukh makes an appearance only towards the climax and his scenes with Irfan are going to be the highlight of the film,” says a visibly excited Priyadarshan.

Meanwhile, security has been beefed up in the entire area of Pollachi. SRK is at the top on the hit lists of terrorists and has been getting death threats. Nearly 100 policemen and a dozen of his personal security men are providing him security. The entire top floor of Sakthi hotel, where he is staying, has been converted into his personal suite, with special state-of-the-art security gadgets being used. Twenty bullet proof vehicles have been flown in from Mumbai for the star and his personal entourage.

And the introduction scene of King Khan in Billoo Barber is equally spectacular. As per the storyline, the superstar he plays in the film comes down to a small village for a shoot and subsequently meets his childhood buddy. To show grandeur and richness, Priyadarshan has flown in one of the most expensive limousines, an oak white Maybach, which only a handful of people in India have as it costs around Rs 5 crore! SRK will be shown moving around in the Maybach, which itself is drawing crowds.

According to sources, some village scenes and a kuthu song on Vijay and Anushka will be picturised during the 10-day shooting schedule.

The number has been set to tune by Vijay Antony, who has composed three out of the five songs in the film, and this kuthu song is said to be rocking.

For the first time, Vijay’s introductory song has been shot in the outdoors of Rajahmundry. The buzz is that Sanjay, Ilayathalapathy’s son, has also danced with him!

The song, according to Vijay Antony, has all the elements to make it the next Nakka mukka…!

CHENNAI/COIMBATORE: When a paediatrician in Coimbatore treated a Class VI student of Avila Convent Matriculation School, little did he suspect
that the child was infected by the H1N1 virus. Today, the paediatrician, a retired professor, has been kept in quarantine at home after he, too, tested positive for the virus. Five of the student’s classmates have also been infected.

“It was by sheer chance that the paediatrician sent the Avila Convent student to the Coimbatore Medical College Hospital for testing for H1N1,” said a health official.

The paediatrician is the second doctor in Coimbatore, and the fourth in Tamil Nadu, to have contracted the flu. On Sunday, a Sivaganga-based doctor, preparing for her postgraduate entrance exam in Coimbatore, tested positive. The doctor lives near the Coimbatore Medical College Hospital, where 20 confirmed cases of H1N1 have been reported so far.

Doctors treating HINI patients at the Coimbatore Medical College Hospital are not afraid of contracting the influenza. “I’m lucky to have not tested positive for the flu. I hope to have developed immunity by now,” said a senior doctor.

“Earlier, two doctors in Chennai tested positive for the flu. They could have contracted it from patients,” said director of public health Dr S Elango. “We have been asking all doctors to take adequate precaution. They should wear a mask, preferably an N95 mask, when they are treating suspect cases. Doctors and paramedics are given Tamiflu if they have a contact history, no matter whether they test positive or not,” he explained. While the dosage for treatment is 0.75 mg, twice everyday for five days, people with contact history are given ten tablets of the same strength once a day.

Dr Dilip Mathai, head of the department of infectious medicine, Christian Medical College, Vellore, has urged doctors to maintain hand hygiene. The virus remains on the hands for at least five minutes. It can enter the body if hands are not washed. After checking every patient, a doctor has to wash his hands, preferably with alcohol swabs,” he pointed out.

COIMBATORE: In another case of brutal ragging, a first year management student was allegedly thrashed and punched in his eyes by five senior
students for his refusal to part with Rs 3000 following which the boy’s vision was affected.
Though the incident took place a month ago, it came to light only on Friday evening when Akhil Dev, son of novelist Sunil Parameshwaran in Kerala, complained to city police commissioner K C Mahali about it.

Akhil, a student of BBM at PSG college of Arts and Science is still undergoing treatment for the injuries, particularly in the eyes, which have been affected after senior students punched his face, police said.

A case has been lodged under the 1997 Anti-Ragging Act against the five students allegedly involved in ragging, police said.

According to the complaint, the incident occurred on the midnight of March 7, when five seniors approached Akhil, who was staying in a private hostel near the college in Peelamedu, and demanded Rs 3000.

When Akhil refused to part with the money, the five asked him lick their boots, which he complied with, the student informed police.

But they did not stop at that and asked him to bend after which they started hitting him. Some of them punched him on his eyes, following which his vision was blurred.