Coimbatore police arrest woman who posted on Instagram videos of her wielding weapons

COIMBATORE: The Coimbatore city police arrested a woman who had posted on Instagram some videos of her wielding deadly weapons. A special police team arrested Vinothini alias Thamana, 23, after a search for her which that lasted a week.
Vinothini posted videos on her Instagram page – Fans call me Thamana - in which she was seen wielding deadly weapons. Vinothini, a native of Virudhunagar district, was an active member of the Praga Brother Instagram page, where a group of youths posted videos holding weapons and provoked their rival gang members.
The Peelamedu police registered a case against her under the Arms Act and took up a search to find her. A special team searched for her in places like Tirupur and Virudhunagar.
Meanwhile, she released a video stating that she had not recently uploaded any video of her wielding weapons. The videos in question were posted two years ago. Recently, they went viral on social media drawing the attention of the police.
Vinothini said she had not been involved in any criminal activity recently as she was married and living peacefully. She stated that she was six months pregnant.
The police tightened their search after she released the video and zeroed in on her in a hideout in Sangagiri in Salem district. She was brought to Coimbatore. She was taken to Coimbatore Medical College Hospital for a medical check-up and produced before a judicial magistrate. She was remanded in judicial custody.
In June 2021, the Peelamedu police arrested Vinothini and M Surya alias Suryaprasath, 23, of Periyar Nagar near Nehru Nagar (East) for possession of two kg and 250 gram of ganja. Police said Vinothini, who had completed a diploma in nursing, befriended Surya through Instagram in 2021 and they had had links with ganja peddlers. She had befriended youth belonging to wealthy families and extorted money from them with the help of her friends.