A gang of eight persons, allegedly led by known offenders, hacked a hotel owner at Naalumukku Junction in Chirayinkeezhu late on Sunday night, forcibly took him away in an autorickshaw and abandoned him in a paddy field.
Thanseem Abdul Samad, sub-inspector, Chirayinkeezhu, said some of the gang members had an argument with the hotel owner, identified as Jackie, 27, of Perumkuzhi, near Chirayinkeezhu, last week and returned to the hotel around 9 p.m. on Sunday night. They again picked up a quarrel with him, and allegedly demanded money. When Jackie refused, he was hacked with swords and bundled into an autorickshaw. The gang reportedly kept thrashing him till they saw a police jeep from the Chirayinkeezhu police station, which was on the lookout for Jackie after local residents alerted the police about the incident.
The gang then abandoned Jackie in a paddy field near the Thengumvila Bhagavathi temple and fled the spot. Jackie was rushed to a local hospital by the police, from where he was shifted to a private hospital in Thiruvananthapuram in the early hours of Monday. He was stated to be out of danger. Mr. Samad said the gang was led by known offenders, including ‘Karumban’ Binu, Kochukuttan, Rajesh and others, who were absconding now. The police had launched a hunt for the accused, he added.
