Gangster accused of murder and shot at by police in Tirunelveli, dies

Man shot by police after killing road worker and attacking constable with sickle dies at Tirunelveli Medical College Hospital.

A man, who was shot at by the police last Thursday (March 7, 2024), near Veeravanallur, after he allegedly killed a road worker and attacked a police constable and another man with a sickle, died at the Tirunelveli Medical College Hospital, early on Monday, March 11.

Police said on Thursday evening, two bike-borne, intoxicated young men, identified as history-sheeter K. Petchi Durai, 22, of Veeravanallur and his associate R. Chandru, 23, of Kallidaikurichi, assaulted a car driver Karthik, 35, of Vannanpacheri near Thaazhaiyooththu. The two allegedly also smashed the windscreen of the car.

When another man, Karuppasamy, 42, of Udaiyanathapuram in Virudhunagar district, who was engaged in road-widening work at Veeravanallur at the time, shouted at them, the duo allegedly hacked him to death with a sickle. They also attacked another individual, A. Venkatesh, 27, of Moolachchi, who was nearby, and caused him head injuries.

The two then allegedly smashed the windscreen of a Tamil Nadu State Transport Corporation bus and fled on the bike. When constable Senthil Kumar of the Veeravanallur police station, tried to nab them, they allegedly attacked him, causing cut injuries to his right hand’s index finger and thumb. He was rushed to the Cheranmahadevi Government Hospital for first-aid and then shifted to the Government Tirunelveli Medical College Hospital for corrective surgery.

On receiving getting information, a police team from Veeravanallur surrounded the culprits hiding at a plantain farm near Thiruppudaimarudhur. When the police tried to nab them, the duo resisted. Police then opened fire at Petchi Durai, and he suffered a bullet injury in the leg. While Petchi Durai was detained with the bullet injury, Chandru managed to escape. However, he was also arrested on Friday (March 8) night.

Petchi Durai, who has several cases registered against him at the Veeravanallur police station, was undergoing treatment in TVMCH, where he succumbed to the injuries, police said.

 Following this, additional police personnel have been deployed in TVMCH and also at Veeravanallur.