The incident led to a major fracas in the area. Over 250 residents blocked the traffic on Arcot Road demanding justice and irate locals stoned five buses. The authorities too moved swiftly and suspended five policemen in this connection.

Residents of the locality were stunned on Wednesday morning when a neighbour noticed Chitra (six months pregnant) hanging dead in her house. Some residents circulated copies of letters purportedly written by her alleging that she was molested by four policemen and was committing suicide out of shame.

Police said that Chitra and her husband were brought in a jeep to Aminjikarai police station at 10 p.m on Tuesday night following a complaint by one Ramaiah of Venkateswara Traders in Arumbakkam on Oct 11 that Rs 2.5 lakh had been stolen from his shop. Police recoveredRs 1.5 lakh after the confessions by Arul and Ravi (both employed in the shop). Police said that both Chitra and her husband Ravi were interrogated by Assistant Commissioner of Police (Anna Nagar Crime) Subramaniam in the presence of another accused Arul and Ramaiah in Aminjikarai police station. While Ravi and Arul were later arrested, Chitra is said to have been dropped in a police jeep at her house at Meenakshi Nagar at 4 am, Wednesday morning. She was later found hanging dead in the house.

Various versions of the death did the rounds in the area, further escalating the tension. The road was completely blocked with over 250 residents getting restless and stoning buses. Police were unable to control the mob which heckled police officials.

As there was talk that the body would be removed to the Kilpauk Medical College for post-mortem, the mob got agitated and demanded that Ravi be brought to the scene, as they feared danger to his life in view of the protests.

Gauging the mood of the crowd, SP GDurairaj ordered a lathi charge at 3.45 p.m, without holding any concrete discussions with them. About 100 policemen swung their lathis effectively. In the melee, a few vehicles were overrun and vehicles of television crew were damaged. Persons who had raised slogans against the police's `arrogance' were targetted. A few mediapersons were also manhandled by the police.

After the mob dispersed, a police cordon took away the body from the house.

Meanwhile, police said that Ravi had been admitted to the Government General Hospital following an epileptic attack at the station yesterday night.

City Police Commissioner P Kalimuthu, when contacted, said that he had suspended Aminjikarai Police Inspector (Crime) Jeevarathinam and four police constables Varadarajan, Gopalakrishnan, Samuvel (all attached to Arumbakkam police station) and Prem Kumar (of Aminjikarai police station). ``The police officers have been suspended as they had violated my order. I had issued a circular that under no circumstances shouldthe police take any woman, children or sick person to the police station for interrogation. The policemen should go to their place and interrogate them in the presence of the locals'', he specified.