Buyer of stolen govt textbooks to be held soon

COIMBATORE: A special police team from the city crime branch (CCB) went to Kovilpatti in Thoothukudi district on Friday to arrest of a buyer who received 350 tonnes of text books meant for Samacheer Kalvi.
So far two education department staff have been arrested in connection with the scam.
The school education department had issued 350 tonnes of Samacheer Kalvi books meant to be distributed to school students in Coimbatore in 2011-12.But the books were kept aside after a change in syllabus. These books were kept at St Antony high school at Puliyakulam and Ondipudur boys' higher secondary school.
District education department staff Saravana Kumar and Sethuramalingam were responsible for the books. Police said they stole the books and sold it to a buyer in Kovilpatti. They had sold 1kg of books for 4.
The Tamil Nadu Textbook Corporation approached the school education department to get back the books in 2013 and found out that the books were missing.
A few weeks ago, chief educational officer A Gnana Gowri lodged a complaint with CCB police who registered a case against chief education officer Rajendran, who has been placed under suspension, four school teachers and two staff of district education department.
Based on the inquiry, Saravana Kumar and Sethuramalingam were arrested two days ago. "They have earned 12 lakh by selling the textbooks to the buyer in Kovilpatti. Saravana Kumar had spent the amount to build a new house at Thondamuthur. Sethuramalingam had spent 3 lakh for family expenses and gave 3 lakh to his friends," said S Mariamuthu, inspector, CCB. He said the buyer would be arrested in a few days.