A 35-year-old history-sheeter was brutally hacked to death by an unidentified gang on Wednesday, March 19, near Nasiyanur on the Salem-Coimbatore National Highway in Tamil Nadu’s Erode district.
The victim, identified as John alias Chanakya, was a resident of SMC Colony in Kitchipalayam, Salem. The attack took place around 11:30 a.m. while John and his wife, Saranya, were traveling by car from Salem to Tiruppur.
According to the police, a gang following them in two cars rammed their vehicle near Nasiyanur and intercepted them. As soon as John stopped, the assailants attacked him with machetes, killing him on the spot. Saranya, who tried to intervene, sustained injuries to her hand and was admitted to a private hospital in Nasiyanur.
Erode Superintendent of Police (SP) G Jawahar inspected the crime scene and is leading the investigation. Police said John had multiple criminal cases registered against him in Kitchipalayam, Annadhanpatty, and Shevapet police stations, including attempted murder. He had recently moved to Periya Palayam in Tiruppur district, where he was running a finance company that provided vehicle loans. On the day of the attack, John and Saranya were returning to Tiruppur after visiting the Annadhanpatty police station in Salem to sign documents related to a case.
Following the murder, police arrested four suspects after a chase during which they opened fire. The accused have been identified as Sathish, Saravanan, Boopalan, and Karthikeyan. They are believed to be part of a larger gang involved in the attack. The injured suspects are currently receiving treatment at the Government Erode Medical College and Hospital in Perundurai and will be shifted to the Coimbatore Medical College and Hospital for further treatment.
The Chithode police have registered a case, and further investigations are underway.