Sellmeyer Larry, the US national arrested at the Chennai airport on Thursday for carrying an unlicensed gun, may get bail after 2-3 weeks.
A senior Chennai police officer told HT: “It’s a non-bailable offence, so getting bail won’t be easy. But the US Consulate may help Larry move for bail after 15-20 days.”
Larry, who is now lodged in the Puzhal Central Prison in Chennai under a 15-day judicial remand, told the police that he had carried the Austria-made pistol for self-defence following the 26/11 terror attacks in Mumbai.
Speaking to HT, Andrew T. Simkin, US consul general in Chennai, said: “We will follow up (with the authorities) to the extent of ensuring the interests of the US national concerned.”
The US Privacy Act forbids government officials from commenting further on individual cases such as Larry’s.
Larry, a painter, had come to Chennai’s Apollo Hospital last month for treatment of a leg ailment. He was about to board a Jet Airways flight to Mumbai on Thursday en route to the US when the airport’s X-ray scanner detected the loaded pistol and bullets in his registered baggage.