Five held for killing man in Kottivakkam

Police said the deceased, Balaji (29) of Kottivakkam, was recently released on bail after he was arrested in connection with a triple-murder at Injambakkam in 2015. He was murdered on Tuesday by his rivals over a fight for leadership in the locality.

Balaji was passing by a Tasmac outlet in Kottivakkam on Tuesday evening when two men intercepted him and hacked him with machetes before fleeing the spot. With the help of passers-by, Balaji’s father rushed him to a nearby hospital in an autorickshaw, but he was declared brought dead. His body was sent to Government Royapettah Hospital for post mortem examination.

The Neelankarai police registered a case and a team led by assistant commissioner Srinivasalu and inspector Natarajan secured five suspects – Ivin, Bashil, Karthik, Raja and Sanjay.

Besides the Injambakkam triple murder in which he is the co-accused, Balaji had a five-year-old murder case pending against him in Madipakkam.