A brutal and shocking incident near Nanguneri in Tirunelveli district has triggered widespread panic after an armed gang carried out a coordinated violent attack across multiple locations, leaving two persons dead and five others seriously injured.
The incident occurred in Perumbathu village, a suburban locality near Nanguneri on the road to Kalakkad, where people from various communities reside. According to reports, several individuals were seated and conversing in front of a tea shop when the violence unfolded.
At that moment, a gang, reported in one media channel as nine persons arriving on three two-wheelers and in another preliminary account as six persons on two-wheelers, suddenly reached the spot. The assailants were armed with deadly weapons including sickles and machetes.
Another channel reported that the mysterious gang of nine persons arrived there in a Scorpio car and on bikes, carrying weapons.
The gang first hurled petrol bombs indiscriminately in front of the tea shop, creating chaos and forcing people present there to scatter and flee. The attackers then chased those who ran and brutally hacked anyone they could catch. Multiple victims collapsed at the scene with severe cut injuries.
In the immediate attack, two persons died on the spot. One of the deceased has been identified as a North Indian migrant worker who was employed in a brick kiln, while the other victim is John Mark of Indira Colony in Perumbathu.
It is reported that John Mark, who died in the attack, is survived by a wife who is speech- and hearing-impaired, and the couple has two daughters.
Five others sustained serious injuries in the assault. The injured have been identified as Nelson, Prabhakaran, and Ramasamy from Perumbathu; Ganesan from Veerangulam; and Sasikumar from Puliyangulam.
Among those injured in the sickle attack, 58-year-old Nelson and 53-year-old Ganesan were rescued and sent to Tirunelveli Government Medical College Hospital for treatment, where they are receiving intensive care in critical condition.
The wounded were rescued by local residents and rushed to the Tirunelveli Government Medical College Hospital, where several are reported to be in critical condition, with at least three said to be in a very grave state.
After the initial attack, the assailants, reportedly carrying blood-stained sickles and showing no visible panic, remounted their two-wheelers and proceeded toward Kadamboduvalvu village. There too, they allegedly attacked people they encountered indiscriminately. The gang fled only after local residents began gathering in large numbers.
Preliminary information suggests the attackers may have been under the influence of alcohol and ganja at the time of the incident. It has also been reported that during the assault the gang shouted slogans praising Naveen (A1), who is an accused in the earlier murder of one Deepak Raja, indicating a possible link to prior criminal rivalries.
Police sources describe Perumbathu as a “crime-prone village,” a classification used by law enforcement based on the frequency of criminal incidents. The Nanguneri region, particularly Perumbathu, is considered sensitive, with caste-based clashes reportedly occurring there from time to time.
Following news of the killings, residents of Perumbathu staged a road blockade protest demanding swift arrests. Police officials held talks with the protesters to defuse tensions.
A gang of around nine that arrived on two-wheelers went on a rampage with sickles at Perumpathu village near Nanguneri. Two feared dead. Residents block road demanding action pic.twitter.com/IsKarqqXoU
— Thinakaran Rajamani (@thinak_) March 2, 2026
The district police have since formed special teams and launched search operations to apprehend the attackers. The precise motive behind the coordinated assault has not yet been officially established, and investigations are ongoing.
Officials note that Tirunelveli city and surrounding southern districts had recently been relatively calm. However, over the past 10–15 days, authorities have observed a troubling uptick in violent incidents, including murders, petrol bomb attacks, and property damage in parts of Tirunelveli and Thoothukudi districts. These developments have heightened fears of escalating caste tensions.
Sickle attack: Two persons died & one is critical. Residents block the road. Tension prevails in Perumpathu village near Nanguneri https://t.co/kDu4vjhSIz pic.twitter.com/UbZ45pNrwI
— Thinakaran Rajamani (@thinak_) March 2, 2026
Nanguneri police have registered a case under eight sections, including murder and attack with deadly weapons, and intensified the probe, with five special teams already formed and an additional technical team deployed. Senior officers, including the Tirunelveli SP, Tenkasi SP, Nellai Range DIG and Southern Zone IG, are supervising the investigation, while over 400 police personnel have been deployed across the region and efforts to nab the accused continue at full pace.
The latest attack has sent shockwaves across Tirunelveli district, with heavy police deployment now in place across the Nanguneri region. Public pressure is mounting on law enforcement to quickly identify and arrest those responsible and restore normalcy.
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