Armed man takes schoolkids, teacher hostage at Tirupati, held

Tirupati: Distressed over financial losses incurred from a business, a 54-year-old man, armed with an iron hammer and a bottle of petrol, held a teacher and students hostage in a classroom at Sri Vijetha school in Akkarampalli, Tirupati, on Thursday.

The Alipiri police neutralised the threat and took the man into custody.The tense standoff unfolded at around 9.50am when the suspect, Chinnam Srinivas, entered the school on the pretext of seeking class 10 admission for his son. After interacting with the school staff, Srinivas, a native of Badvel in Kadapa district, but currently residing in Mysuru, went to the second floor of the school building. He barged into the classroom, bolted the door from the inside, and held the students and teacher hostage.Panick gripped the campus as Srinivas brandished an iron hammer and threatened the teacher and students. The situation escalated when he splashed petrol on the door and around the classroom, threatening to set the place on fire.The school management immediately alerted local authorities. A team from the Alipiri police station rushed to the spot and initiated a tactical dialogue with Srinivas. The police personnel managed to de-escalate the situation, overpower him without any casualties, and shift him to the police station.

Preliminary investigation revealed that Srinivas was mentally distressed following severe financial loss in a business venture he previously ran with a friend. Feeling cheated and denied justice by the system, he resorted to this dangerous stunt “solely to draw widespread public, media, and political attention to his grievances”, the police said. Interrogation further revealed that he had allegedly attempted suicide near the Mysuru high court.Tirupati district superintendent of police L Subbarayudu said an in-depth investigation is underway, and strictly warned that any actions threatening public safety and peace will be dealt with an iron fist.