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A 29-year-old was hacked to death by a gang in public in Chennai’s Tiruvottiyur on Wednesday night, September 9, a day after he allegedly approached the police seeking protection over a financial dispute and publicly accused a police inspector of threatening him.
The deceased has been identified as D Pradeep Raj, a resident of West Mada Street in Tiruvottiyur and a Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK) youth wing functionary.
Pradeep was riding his two-wheeler along West Mada Street around 8.30 pm on Wednesday, when a gang allegedly waylaid him and attacked him with knives. He suffered severe injuries to his head and face and died at the spot.
The murder came a day after Pradeep had been summoned to the Tiruvottiyur police station in connection with a longstanding dispute over a loan, along with members of the rival group.
Pradeep had also submitted complaints to the Chennai Commissioner’s office seeking protection and alleged that no action was taken.
In a video statement to the media, Pradeep alleged that his family had been living in the area for around 15 years and that his mother Rani had borrowed money from a woman named Navaneetham, which led to a financial dispute.
Pradeep alleged that the Tiruvottiyur inspector had threatened him during a conversation and claimed that the officer was supporting the other side in the dispute.
“You won’t remain alive. I will file a false case and put you in jail,” Pradeep alleged the inspector had told him.
He further alleged that the inspector told him, “If you wish, go and tell the CM. You can’t do anything to me.”
His murder came a day after he made the allegations.
However, police said Pradeep’s mother, Rani, had borrowed Rs 9 lakh from Navaneetham around two years ago and had failed to repay the amount despite repeated demands. The dispute escalated on July 26, when Navaneetham allegedly went to Pradeep’s house seeking repayment.
Pradeep, Rani and three others — Satheesh, Lavanya and Dilli Babu — allegedly threatened and assaulted Navaneetham, police said.
Following her complaint, the H8 Tiruvottiyur police registered a case under sections relating to abusive language, criminal intimidation and harassment. Pradeep was arrested and remanded in judicial custody before being released on bail.
Police said the incident deepened the hostility between Pradeep and Naveen (32), who is Navaneetham’s son and also a deputy organiser of the DMK youth wing in Ward 10.
The tension further escalated as Vinayagar Chaturthi approached. Police said Pradeep had planned to install a Vinayagar idol near Naveen’s eatery, where he had reportedly installed an idol in previous years as well.
Fearing a confrontation between the two groups, police summoned both sides to the station on September 8 and warned them against resorting to violence.
During the summons, Pradeep allegedly threatened Naveen and his family.
According to the police, Naveen subsequently conspired with his brother-in-law Lokesh (27), and two employees of his eatery, Hari Krishnan (21) and Jabar (24), to attack Pradeep. On Wednesday, the four allegedly intercepted Pradeep and hacked him with knives.
Police rushed to the spot after receiving information and sent the body to Government Stanley Hospital for post-mortem.
A murder case was registered and a special team was formed to trace the suspects.
The team, led by Tiruvottiyur inspector Alex, traced the four men to Madhavaram, where they were allegedly found hiding with patta knives. They were arrested early on Thursday.
The four were being questioned at the Tiruvottiyur police station and are expected to be produced before a court for remand.
Pradeep’s body was handed over to his family after the post-mortem on Thursday. His final rites are expected to be held on Friday.
