Chennai: In an incident that shocked the city on Monday morning, two men were hacked to death in broad daylight in full public view by members of a rival gang in suburban West Tambaram.
Police identified the deceased as Pradeep (30) of Arputham Nagar in Tambaram and his history-sheeter friend Suresh (30), of Adhi Nagar in Selaiyur.
Pradeep owns a laundry shop in the neighbourhood while Suresh is known to have conducted katta panchayats (kangaroo courts), police said adding that Suresh was involved in more cases and had been arrested under goondas act recently.
The incident happened at around 11.40 am on Arputham Nagar in West Tambaram, a few metres away from Pradeep’s house, sources said. According to the police, Suresh picked up Pradeep from his house in the morning and the duo was heading to Tambaram on Suresh’s two-wheeler. When they were on Thiruneermalai main road, a three-member gang in two bikes intercepted them with machetes and sharp weapons.
“Even as the gang began stabbing the victims, the duo started running, but they were caught and stabbed repeatedly. The gang fled the spot after people started to gather,” said a police officer. One of the assailants abandoned his two-wheeler at the spot while fleeing.
“We heard a few people screaming and rushed to the spot and saw two men lying dead with cut marks on their neck and chest,” said, Rajammal, a resident of the area who lives just a few hundred metres from the murder scene.
People from nearby residences and shops who witnessed the gory incident said they had alerted the police.
The Tambaram police arrived at the spot and sent the bodies to Chrompet government hospital for post-mortem.South Chennai Joint Commissioner Maheshwari arrived at the murder spot and conducted enquiries.
It was learnt from preliminary investigations that the men were murdered due to previous enmity and their involvement in local fights.
Police also suspect the men were murdered by contract killers since the bodies of the victims bore injury marks only on chest and neck.
Further investigations are underway.
