‘Thief’ dies in well after midnight chase by residents near Karayanchavadi

A man suspected to be a thief, fell into a well and died after he was chased by villagers near Poonamallee on Thursday night. The incident happened on Buckingham Road in Karayanchavadi near Poonamallee, a western suburb of the city. According to the police, the man, identified as Shankar Ganesh, tried to break into the house of Ravi, 62, of Karayanchavadi after midnight on Thursday. After some alert neighbours raised an alarm and started chasing, the man fled the scene to escape from the mob but slipped into a nearby farm well. Though the residents alerted the Fire and Rescue Services, its team could not locate him. On Friday morning, residents saw the body floating in the well. The body was later sent for autopsy. Police recovered two identity cards from his body. One card said he was a resident of Dindigul while the second showed his address in Andhra Pradesh. “It looks like an accident because the man was not familiar with the landscape,” police said and ruled out any possible foul play.