Chennai: The city police have picked up the image of the assailant who was suspected to have opened fire at point blank range on a 50-year-old private travels and tours operator, on Erulappan Street, Sowcarpet Tuesday evening.
Around 6 pm on Tuesday, the unidentified man clad in sky-blue trousers, and a blue cotton shirt, reportedly shot at Babu Singh (50), a native of Rajasthan, in the CCTV footage sourced from the vicinity by the cops.
The youth was seen running away in a clipping, which DC had access to, and a suspicious duo was seen slowing down in the same locality. The cops have also laid their hands on more footage and are in the process of picking up the best image to pin down the prime suspect.
“It appears that two teams came. One of them came and alighted from an autorickshaw on Audiappa Naik Street. This team reportedly carried out the hit and took to its heels while the other team was doing a reccee. The other team came in a two-wheeler. However, we are yet to pick up the suspect which will reveal the actual number of persons involved in the murder”, said a senior police official.
Sources said the bullet extracted from the scene is of 0.762 mm bore size, and suspected to have been sourced from an ordnance factory in Maharashtra, where it is freely available. The gun used was a country-made one and it did not have a smooth bore since there were reports of misfiring during the shootout.
The primary motive behind the murder was said to be business rivalry. There were adverse reports against the deceased from the neighbourhood, which is also being verified.
The body was handed over to the bereaved family, which took it to Choolai for the last rites. Singh, a native of Naradra village, Sirohi district, Rajasthan, moved into the city about two decades ago while his two elder male siblings are living in their native place. He set up the Shivshakti Travels on Wall Tax Road and shifted his office to Erulappan Street in 2008.
