The Coimbatore City Police on Wednesday arrested three more persons for their alleged involvement in the daylight retaliatory killing of G. Gokul, 25, a murder case accused, on a busy lane near the Combined Court Complex at Gopalapuram on Monday.
The police said S. Vishnuprakash, 24, alias Vicky of Veerakeralam, and T. Karthik Pandiyan, 23, and P. Vikram, 21, of Rathinapuri, were arrested on Wednesday evening on charges of helping the seven other accused, who were arrested from the Nilgiris on Tuesday.
G. Chandeesh, Deputy Commissioner of Police, Coimbatore North, said the trio helped the others by means of money and arranging transportation.
J. Joshwa, 23, S. Gowtham, 24, M. Gowtham, 24, alias Hari, Bharani Sowndhar, 20, V. Arunkumar, 21, P.M. Surya, 23, and J. Daniel, 27, are the seven persons arrested by the police from the Nilgiris on Tuesday.
According to the police, a sub-inspector shot at the legs of Joshwa and Gowtham, after they allegedly attempted to escape and attacked a policeman, when the vehicle carrying them to Coimbatore reached near Mettupalayam.
The police produced Gowtham alias Hari, Soundar, Arunkumar, Surya and Daniel before the third judicial magistrate court on Wednesday evening. They were remanded in judicial custody till March 1. Those injured were not produced before the court as they were undergoing treatment at the Coimbatore Medical College Hospital.
Previous enmity
According to the police, the accused hacked Gokul to death on Monday to avenge the murder of their gang member V. Sriram, 22, alias ‘Kurangu’ Sriram, near Saravanampatti in Coimbatore in December 2021.
A five-member gang, including Gokul, had chased Sriram on motorcycles for about five km before hacking him to death following gang rivalry.
The gang targeted Gokul on the lane leading to the back gate of the court complex when he came there along with his friend Manoj Joshwa, 22, of Sivanandhapuram. Though the gang hacked Manoj, he escaped. The daylight murder on a busy lane near the court complex sent shock waves across the State after videos of the incident shot by the public were widely shared on social media.
An official said that Vishnuprakash, Karthik Pandiyan and Vikram will be produced before court for remand on Thursday, after questioning them.
One surrenders
Meanwhile in Udhagamandalam, an accused in the case surrendered at the B1 Ooty police station on Wednesday evening.
The man was identified as Gnanasekaran, a 26-year-old resident of Coimbatore. It is believed that Gnanasekaran had escaped when his associates were apprehended by the Nilgiris district police near Kotagiri on Tuesday. One more accused in the case is also believed to be currently absconding.
After he surrendered, Gnanasekaran was handed over to the Coimbatore police.
