Armed Murder Accused Shot in Leg During Arrest Attempt Near Manimangalam
The investigators are also probing his alleged links with other suspects.
Chennai:A 24-year-old history-sheeter, wanted in the murder of a panchayat president, was shot in the leg by the police after he allegedly tried to attack a special team with a machete and attempted to escape from a hideout near Manimangalam on Thursday.
Police identified the accused as Saddam Hussain of Karasangal, near Manimangalam. He has several criminal cases, including murder, pending against him and is classified as an A+ category rowdy, they said.
Hussain is a key accused in the 2022 murder of Venkatesan, the then president of Madambakkam panchayat. He was arrested in connection with the case and subsequently released on bail. The police alleged that he later became involved in other criminal activities and the sale of ganja.
According to the police, Hussain had also failed to appear regularly before the court in the murder case. The court then cancelled his bail and issued a warrant for his arrest.
Following this, a special police team, formed by the Manimangalam police, began looking for him. They received information that Hussain was hiding in an abandoned house in a forest area at Karasangal.
The special team surrounded the house in the early hours of Thursday. According to the police, Hussain allegedly came out with a machete and attempted to attack the personnel. Despite being warned to surrender, he allegedly tried to flee and again moved towards the police with the weapon.
Police said they fired at his leg in self-defence. He was initially taken to the Tambaram government hospital for first-aid and later shifted to the Rajiv Gandhi government general hospital in Chennai, where he is undergoing treatment.
During a search of the abandoned house, police are said to have recovered four country-made bombs, three machetes and 23 kg of ganja.
The police are questioning Hussain to ascertain the source of the explosives and drugs and whether the weapons and explosives were intended for use in any planned attack.
The investigators are also probing his alleged links with other suspects.