\
A 32-year-old man was arrested on Tuesday for stealing a garbage collection vehicle in Ranipet town.
Police said that the accused has been identified as S. Syed Jafer, a resident of Keel Visharam near Arcot town. He was working as a security guard in a textile merchant’s house in the town.
As part of door-to-door garbage collection, conservancy worker K. Sankar, 28, parked the autorickshaw, owned and maintained by the Ranipet municipality, on main road to collect waste from houses. When he returned , he did not find the vehicle. Immediately, he alerted sanitary officer S. Murugan who informed Ranipet police.
After analysing CCTV footage on the stretch, police narrowed down on Jafer, who was seen driving the vehicle from the spot.
Initial inquiry revealed that Jafer was curious to drive a vehicle as he had not done it before. When he saw the vehicle on the road, he decided to give it a try. He started the vehicle, but did not know where the brake was and hit a roadside tree. He then fled the spot. Later, he was arrested from the textile merchant’s house in the area. A case was registered. Further investigation is on.
