History-sheeter hurt in police firing dies in Nellai hosp

TIRUNELVELI: A notorious history-sheeter, who was shot at by the police last Thursday, when he attempted to escape arrest, after murdering a road worker and attacking a police constable, succumbed to bullet injury at Tirunelveli Government Medical College Hospital (TMCH) here on Monday.

Police said that K Petchi Durai (22), a habitual offender against whom several cases were pending along with his associate R Chandru (23) assaulted a car driver and smashed the windscreens of the car in an inebriated condition near Thazhaiyoothu locality on the day.

When the road worker Karuppasamy (42) questioned their rude behaviour, the duo hacked him to death on the spot and attacked another person with a sickle.

They also smashed the windscreen of a Tamil Nadu State Transport Corporation bus and attempted to escape from the spot on a motorcycle.

A police constable, Senthil Kumar attached to Veeravanallur police station, while passing on the road at that time, attempted to catch Petchi Durai and Chandru.

The duo attacked the police constable with the sickle injuring him grievously on hand. He was admitted to TMCH.

Later, a police team on a tip-off, searched a plantain farm near Thiruppudaimarudhur, where the duo was hiding with deadly weapons.

When the police warned them to surrender, they attempted to escape, forcing the police to open fire on Petchi Durai. He suffered a bullet injury in the leg.

His accomplice Chandru managed to escape from the spot but was arrested by a special police team from a hideout the next day.

Petchi Durai, who was undergoing intense treatment in TMCH, succumbed to the injury today.

Following his death, a large number of police men were deployed in and around the hospital and also at his native Veeravanallur as a precautionary measure.