A lorry driver, who killed a man by hitting him with the vehicle in Salem, was chased and nabbed by a Home Guard personnel in Namakkal.
According to the police, S. Deivam (40) of Vallalkulam in Madurai, a lorry driver, was heading to Madurai from Salem on Sunday evening. When he reached Seelanaickenpatti around 11 p.m., he parked the lorry and went to a hotel in the opposite side of the Salem–Namakkal National Highway. After dinner, when he was crossing the road, a speeding lorry hit him and fled from the spot. Deivam died on the spot.
On seeing the lorry flee, Balasubramaniam (42), a Home Guard from Karur district who came to Salem to attend a marriage, started to chase the lorry in a car. During the chase, the lorry driver threatened to hit the car. But Balasubramaniam, who informed both the Salem and Namakkal district police, chased the lorry to Namakkal and stopped it while passing a speed breaker.
Later, he handed over the driver to the Namakkal police. The lorry driver was identified as V. Gopalan (52) of Thanjavur district. The Annathanapatti police registered a case and arrested Gopalan. The Salem and Namakkal district police appreciated the Home Guard personnel for his courage.
