A former AIADMK councillor of Devichetti Kuppam panchayat was hacked to death allegedly by a former DMK councillor inside the Block Development Office (BDO), Anaicut, on Saturday. Police have secured five persons and are conducting an inquiry.
According to the police, Mahendran, 57, a member of the AIADMK party and former councillor and Manimaran, a former DMK councillor of Devichetti Kuppam were relatives. At 10.45 a.m., Mahendran had gone to the Anaicut BDO in connection with a contract issue. Manimaran, along with a few others, stormed into the office, chased and hacked him to death, they said.
Mahendran’s son Dasarathan told the police that he spotted Manimaran and a few others carrying knives and leaving the spot in a car. When he went inside the office, he found his father lying in a pool of blood.
The police said previous enmity was the motive behind the murder. “Mahendran and Manimaran were relatives and belonged to the same village. They had rivalry in business and winning contracts for both government and private works,” a senior police official said.
In March, both sides assaulted each other over a problem in securing a contract for constructing a community hall, the police said.
In the attack, Manimaran was beaten up badly. Mahendran, his two sons and two others were arrested and booked for attempt to murder in Veppankuppam station. Mahendran was out on bail, he said.
“Manimaran was admitted to the Intensive Care Unit for treatment. He was discharged from hospital four to five days ago,” he said.
