A gang of men were spotted chasing a photographer and attacking him in broad daylight at Chennai’s Marina beach on the morning of Sunday, July 3. The incident was caught on camera by a few onlookers. Four persons have been arrested by the Marina police station in connection with the attack. A 25-year-old man named Anand and three minors were arrested several hours after the incident. According to police sources, 23-year-old Ilamaaran, a photographer, was at the beach behind the ‘Namma Chennai’ logo, along with his friend and family members for a photo shoot on Sunday morning when the attack took place.
Seven persons, including Ilamaaran, were taking photographs when a group of unknown persons approached Ilamaaran and asked for his phone. When Ilamaaran refused to give them his phone, they were irked and allegedly threatened him with a knife. They also allegedly tried to snatch the phone from Ilamaaran’s possession. As he did not give in to their threats, the group attacked him with a knife and chased him on the service road by the beach, as onlookers filmed the incident. The gang also reportedly threatened the morning walkers in the beach.
The video, which has gone viral, shows unidentified men walking on the Marina beach service road wielding machetes. Later, they were seen running towards a person and attacking him. The video also showed morning walkers being shocked by the attack in daylight, with some of them trying to intervene from a safe distance.
Shocking visuals of a photographer being attacked by a gang at Chennai’s Marina beach.
— Shabbir Ahmed (@Ahmedshabbir20) July 3, 2022
The gang was seen wielding deadly weapons on the service road & threatening morning walkers. pic.twitter.com/7UgcwFqAfY
Ilamaaran escaped from the spot and later, the incident was taken to the notice of Marina police, who are conducting an investigation into the matter and have made arrests. Meanwhile, Ilamaaran was admitted at the Omandurar Government Medical College Hospital and later shifted to Rajiv Gandhi Government General Hospital for treatment.