More than 25 Health department staff on a mosquito eradication programme as part of preventive measures against dengue were allegedly locked up inside a lorry shed today following a wordy duel with its occupants on piling of old tyres in nearby Thiruthangal.
After being alerted by the "detained officials", police intervened and set them free.
The team led by S A Jayachandran, Supervisor, inspecting various areas told the occupants of the shed that they could not stack the old tyres that had become a breeding ground for dengue mosquitoes and strongly advised to remove the tyres, leading to an altercation, they said.
The enraged workers locked the health department personnel.
