Tamil Nadu police shoot dead history sheeter, claim he was trying to escape

Forty-five-year-old rowdy ‘Niraavi’ Murugan was on Wednesday, March 16, shot dead in an extra-judicial killing by a special team of police from Dindigul near Kalakkad of Tirunelveli. Murugan had been booked in more than 60 cases, including theft, robbery and murder charges. This also included the high-profile murder of Aladi Aruna, the former law minister of Tamil Nadu who was killed in 2004.   

Dindigul police were on the lookout for him in a case related to a robbery at Oddanchanthiram of Dindigul, where Murugan had allegedly robbed nearly 40 sovereigns of gold jewellery from the house of a doctor in February this year. 

Based on a tip-off that Murugan was hiding in Kalakkad, a special team of police, under sub-inspector Esakkiraja from Dindigul, arrived at the spot. According to the police, they spotted him in a vehicle near Meenavankulam and tried to nab him. However, he tried to escape and attacked the police, the police have claimed. He was reportedly shot by sub-inspector Esakkiraja, following which he died on the spot. Four police personnel sustained minor injuries in the incident, the police said, and are undergoing treatment.

Murugan hailed from from Neeravimedu village at Thoothukudi, and he was booked in several cases in many parts of Tamil Nadu, including Chennai, Thoothukudi and Erode. Earlier, in 2019, he was surrounded by Bhavani police, which iswhen he allegedly shot a police officer, and was later nabbed. 

Tirunelveli Superintendent of Police (SP) Saravanan said that a case has been registered at Kalakkad police station and is being investigated. He also added that Murugan was a notorious criminal who had always been assaulting police personnel and there was no further information on whether he was accompanied by anyone, thus leading to his monicker, ‘Niravi’. 

“As of now, we think he was alone. Further probe is underway,” the official added.