Midnight blaze at plastic recycling unit

CHENNAI: A fire broke out on Saturday midnight in a plastic company at Poonamallee causing damage to products worth lakhs. Police suspect that a short circuit caused the fire.The fire broke out at the private plastic company located at Vetrilai Thottam, Sennir Kuppam, Poonamallee, and spread faster because of the plastic products stocked up in there. The company manufactured powder from old plastic products and sold it in other cities and also exported it.Over 20 employees, who worked in the company, left after work and one employee Paneerselvam stayed back.Paneerselvam, who ran out of the company, called the Poonamallee police.Soon after, four fire tenders from Avadi, Ambattur, Koyambedu and Poonamallee arrived and doused the fire after fighting it for over two hours.Police are investigating.20 sovereigns stolen from locked house Twenty sovereigns of gold were reportedly stolen from the house of a staff member of the University of Madras at Pattabiram, on Sunday.Police said Gajendran (48), a resident of Modern City, had gone on a tour to Kutralam with his family on July 8. Kumar, a tenant living on the first floor of the house, called Gajendran and informed that the lock on the house’s front door was broken.Gajendran told Kumar that he had kept 20 sovereigns of gold jewellery in the house and asked him to call the police.When Pattabiram police arrived and checked the house they found the gold missing from the bureau.They have registered a case and are investigating.