Petrol bomb attack on lorry transporting minerals

A lorry driver was seriously injured after unidentified persons hurled petrol bombs at his vehicle near Alankulam in Tenkasi district during the early hours of Monday, triggering tension in the area.
Police said three quarries are operating in Maruthamputhur Panchayat near Alankulam.
In addition, quarries in nearby villages, including A. Thulukappatti, send hundreds of lorries transporting mineral resources to various parts of Kerala and other regions every day. All these vehicles pass through Maruthamputhur village before proceeding towards Alankulam and Kerala.
On Monday morning, a Taurus lorry carrying clay from a private quarry located in the Kandapatti exclusion zone set out for Alankulam.
When the vehicle reached the Kandapatti exclusion zone, unidentified persons suddenly threw petrol bombs at the lorry and escaped from the scene.
The driver, a resident of Sengottai, sustained serious burn injuries, and the driver’s seat of the lorry was partially gutted in the fire.
Two drivers from another lorry passing through the area rushed to the spot, rescued the injured driver and admitted him to the Alankulam Government Hospital for treatment.
They also parked the damaged lorry safely on the roadside at Maruthamputhur town and alerted the Alankulam police. Inspector Adivel and his team rushed to the spot, registered a case and launched an investigation.
CCTV footage from nearby cooperative society premises is being examined as police probe whether the attack was due to personal enmity or resentment among local youth over frequent heavy vehicle movement.