Man killed, suspect hurt in revenge attack

The deceased, Manikandan of Periamet who has a couple of cases pending against him, was working as a daily wage labourer at shops in the neighbourhood, said the police.

After attending a function at a friend’s house in Choolai on Friday, Manikandan was returning with home with his friends Richie Albert and T Arunkumar. When they reached near the rountana in Periamet around 9.30 pm, a three-member gang surrounded him and clobbered him with wooden logs. 

His friends escaped from the spot with minor injuries, police said.  After beating him up badly, the gang threw a heavy stone on Manikandan’s head and fled the spot. As soon as the assailants left, Richie and Arunkumar rushed Manikandan to Rajiv Gandhi Government General Hospital (RGGGH) where doctors declared him brought dead.

On information, the Periamet police registered a case and launched a hunt for the suspects – Balu, Hemanathan and Chandran of Vyasarpadi – who had previous enmity with Manikandan. 

After receiving a tip-off early in the morning that the trio was hiding in a building near the Elephant Gate bridge, a police team rushed there. But by the time they reached around 3 am on Saturday, they found only Balu there, who was lying unconscious with injuries on his head and neck. He was rushed to RGGGH and is undergoing treatment.

Investigations revealed that both Balu and Manikandan were friends. Recently, as they were consuming liquor at Basin Bridge, a fight erupted after Manikandan tried to take out money from Balu’s shirt. Following the quarrel, they were picked by the Basin Bridge police and were let off with a warning. 

The police suspect that the attack on Balu could be an instant retaliation by Manikandan’s friends to avenge his death. A separate case has been registered on this attack on Balu, said officials, adding that special teams have been formed to nab the accused behind both the incidents.