The Zam Bazaar police have arrested 11 persons for the murder of a 45-year-old resident of Mattangkuppam in Triplicane, on Wednesday. The victim identified as R. Raja was murdered by a knife-wielding gang on Tuesday. The investigation team is also interrogating two juveniles connected with the murder.
A senior official of the City Police said Raja was driving his autorickshaw on the Barathi Salai-Victoria Hostel Road junction when more than 10 persons wielding knives waylaid him and murdered him. Members of the public alerted the Zam Bazaar police, rescued the victim and took him to a nearby hospital. He was pronounced brought dead by the hospital authorities.
The Zam Bazaar police, during investigation at the crime scene and after viewing the footage of the closed circuit television (CCTV) cameras installed in the locality found that more than 10 persons had murdered the victim. The investigation team detained 11 persons, including the main accused C. Surya and his brother Deva of the same locality in Triplicane. On interrogation they found the duo along with their friends had planned to murder Raja and his nephews Vinod and Balaji, for being an hindrance to them in selling ganja in the locality. As Vinod and Balaji were serving their term in prison in another case, the brothers planned to finish off Raja and carried out the crime.
The Zam Bazaar police seized five knives and three two-wheelers used for the crime. All the 11 persons were produced before a judicial magistrate on Wednesday and sent to prison.
