A man was hacked to death by an unidentified gang in public in Thiruvottiyur, Chennai, on Wednesday, September 9, in the second such brutal murder reported in the city within a week as reported in DT Next.
The deceased was identified as Pradeep Raj. According to police sources, he was riding a two-wheeler along West Mada Street in Thiruvottiyur when a gang intercepted him and attacked him with weapons. The assailants fled the scene after the attack.
Pradeep Raj was rushed to a hospital, where doctors declared him brought dead.
The Thiruvottiyur police have registered a case and launched an investigation to identify and apprehend those involved in the murder.
Preliminary investigations have indicated that Pradeep Raj had a financial dispute with another man in the neighbourhood. Both men had reportedly been summoned to the police station recently for an enquiry in connection with the dispute.
As per a Puthiya Thalaimurai report, the murder was also preceded by a complaint reportedly made by Pradeep Raj against the local police inspector. According to reports, he had alleged that the inspector had summoned him personally and intimidated him. The complaint was made a day before the fatal attack.
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A day before his death, Raj had approached the Tiruvottiyur police and filed a complaint stating that he feared for his life. He had also sought protection for his family and submitted representations to the Chennai Police Commissioner’s office, the Deputy Commissioner’s office and the offices of the Superintendent of Police, as per a Times of India report.
In a video statement released to the media a day before the incident, Raj had made allegations against the Tiruvottiyur police inspector as well.
Raj claimed that his family had been residing in the area for around 15 years. According to him, his mother had borrowed money on behalf of another person, which subsequently led to a financial dispute involving the family. He alleged that when they approached the authorities over the matter, a counter-complaint was registered against him, resulting in his arrest.
He further alleged that the Tiruvottiyur inspector had threatened him during a conversation and accused the officer of siding with the other party in the dispute. Raj also claimed that the inspector had told him to take his complaint to Chief Minister Vijay if he wanted to pursue the matter. He alleged that he was assaulted after bringing a lawyer to intervene in the dispute.
Raj had also alleged that the financial dispute involved the Navaneetham family.
Police are investigating whether the financial dispute or any other previous enmity was connected to the murder.
The incident comes days after the killing of S. Kannan, 45, a Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam (TVK) cadre from Vannanthurai, who was hacked to death by a gang near Besant Nagar on Saturday night.
Kannan was reportedly a history-sheeter and earned a living by renting cars to IT companies. He had recently shifted his political allegiance from the AIADMK to the ruling TVK.
The killing of Kannan was reported as a revenge murder, with police investigating the circumstances and the gang behind the attack.
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