An advocate was murdered in broad daylight in Puzhal on Thursday. Akhilan alias Akhilnath (34), a resident of Sankaralinganar Street, Kavangarai, a lawyer who was practising in the Judicial Magistrate Court in Ponneri, was reportedly murdered by a gang near his house.
A senior official of the City Police said Akhilan was talking to his friend when a six-member gang in three motorcycles surrounded and attacked him with deadly weapons. The victim was killed on the spot. Immediately, residents of the locality informed the Puzhal Police who rushed to the spot and sent the body to Government Stanley Hospital for post-mortem examination.
The official said the victim, whose brother is a practising lawyer at the Madras High Court, was known to be involved in land disputes and was also named as an accused in the murder of a resident of the locality, P. Sivaraj.
The official said the initial inquiry into the murder had led to the conclusion that it was the handiwork of a gang seeking revenge for the murder of Sivaraj, who was killed by a gang in January this year.
The murder is believed to been carried out by a six-member gang led by Sivaraj’s brother-in-law Chandru. But, the investigation is also looking into his history of dealing with land disputes and whether the murder was planned by some others that he had fallen out with.
The police official said a special team has been formed to nab the killers and a few persons have already been detained for inquiry.
