A small-time realtor was found unconscious with a bullet injury in front of his friends’ house in Maduravoyal, early on Tuesday.
He was rushed to a hospital and following treatment, has been declared out of danger. Police have recovered four unused bullets from the spot where he was found. However, the gun used has not yet been located.
The victim, identified as Mani Kumar (33), who hails from Kizhairal village in Tuticorin district, began his career in the real estate business around 15 years ago in Chennai.
He currently lives with his mother and brother on Krishna Nagar 9 Street in Alapakkam. He has several friends in the locality.
Around 3 a.m. on Tuesday, Kumar was found unconscious, in a pool of blood, in the compound of a house where his friends Chandrasekar, Pratap Reddy, Bharath, Riteesh and a few others resided in Krishna Nagar IX Street, Annexe.
According toMaduravoyal police who are probing the shooting, hospital authorities where Kumar was taken to for treatment, reported the incident to them.
Kumar was taken to a private hospital in Valasarawakkam on Arcot Road in a serious condition. Though he had been shot in the stomach and the bullet had exited through his back, he survived, as he was taken to the hospital quickly.
Mani Kumar’s friends told police that he had come to visit them in the night. His motorcycle was found parked in front of the house.
Initially, the possibility of a Naxal attack was suspected. But police later said the shootout had occurred following a possible quarrel between the victim and his friends who were also realtors.
Residents told police that they had not heard gun shots, but had reportedly heard people shouting.
Prem Anand Sinha, deputy commissioner of police (Anna Nagar), said no gun had been recovered from the scene although four unused bullets were found nearby.
“The bullet from the victim’s body has been removed. We will question him once he is well and in the meantime, will ascertain the type of weapon used in the crime,” he added.
