An armed gang on Thursday hurled a petrol bomb on a vehicle carrying the accused in a petrol bomb case from court, chased those fleeing and hacked one person to death. Four others suffered grievous injuries.
The police identified the deceased as M. Muthuviji (22) of Pattam in Sivaganga district. R. Sonaiya (20) and T. Vignesh (20), both from Anupanadi, are accused in a November 2012 petrol bomb case. The other injured are T. Arjunan and R. Muneeskumar (19). The accused were travelling in a call-taxi (an SUV) back to their home in Anupanadi from the district court complex in K.K. Nagar after signing the register at Judicial Magistrate Court-VI as per their bail condition. The SUV was accompanied by their supporters who were riding on three motorbikes. A police party was also escorting the convoy but was lagging behind due to traffic congestion in the city, police sources said.
After hurling the bomb, the assailants started attacking the windshields of the SUV with huge machetes in front of the gate of a girl’s higher secondary school. The gang chased the fleeing Muthuviji and others accused. After a futile attempt to escape, Muthuviji, who sustained multiple cut injuries, collapsed and died. The condition of Sonaiya is said to be critical.
“We have identified some of the assailants and seized an autorickshaw they had used,” said Sanjay Mathur, Commissioner of Police.
