Coimbatore murder: 7 arrested; two shot at during escape bid

COIMBATORE: A day after a murder in public near court complex in Coimbatore, police in a swift action on Tuesday arrested seven persons.

Notably, two suspects in the case, who attempted to escape after assaulting the police, were shot in their legs and nabbed, said Coimbatore Commissioner of Police V Balakrishnan.

Sources said that Gokul alias Sondi Gokul (22), a history-sheeter from Lakshmi Nagar in Coimbatore, had come along with his friend Manoj to appear before the Coimbatore judicial magistrate court.

He was chased by a gang of five and was murdered in the broad daylight on Monday. Police retrieved the body of Gokul and sent his friend Manoj, who sustained severe injuries in the attack, to the hospital. The police registered a case and launched a manhunt for the accused.

On Tuesday, acting on a tip off that the gang was in Kothagiri, police rushed to the spot and arrested five persons, identified as Joshwa Devapriyan, a history-sheeter, his aides Gowtham, Arun Kumar, Bharani and Hari. Subsequently, the police produced them before a court in Coimbatore.

Earlier, when they were passing through Mettupalayam- Kothagiri Road on the way to the court, Joshwa and Gowtham complained of nausea. When they stopped the vehicle, the duo assaulted the police and tried to flee.

However, the police shot them on their legs and nabbed them. In the encounter, one officer was injured, said the CoP.