FB lure, robbery attempt end in 2 deaths

Among the arrested persons, the juvenile was sent to the government home in Kelly’s, while the other was lodged in jail by a magistrate court in the city.

According to police, the juvenile lured his Facebook friend Shanmugasundaram, 37-year-old from Erode, by chatting with him in a woman’s voice. He then colluded with Aadhi (21), an engineering student fromKolathur, and asked Shanmugasundaram to come to V S Mani Nagar in Madhavaram to meet in person.

Shanmugasundaram reached the spot in the wee hours of Saturday and spoke to the juvenile. Soon, the latter and Aadhi came there with three other friends – Naveen (19), Yuvaraj (19), and Satish (20). Together, they threatened the man, and made him part with his debit card and PIN. Then, leaving him with Aadhi and the juvenile on the roadside, the other three went to a nearby ATM kiosk to draw cash.

The plan went awry when a police patrol team came by unexpectedly. Spotting them, Shanmugasundaram raised alarm to catch the personnel’s attention. The police nabbed the juvenile, but Aadhi managed to escape from the spot.

Meanwhile, sensing that they are in trouble, the trio who had gone to the kiosk also tried to escape. The team caught Naveen after a brief chase, but Yuvaraj and Satish got on the bike and sped away from the spot.

As the duo reached Panaiyur near Cheyyur on the East Coast Road, their bike collided head-on with a government bus coming from Velankanni to Chennai. Both were killed on the spot.

The Cheyyur police have registered a case regarding the accident. Back in the city, the Madhavaram police registered a case and arrested Naveen and the minor college student.They have also formed a special team to track Aadhi who is absconding.