CHENNAI: A 48-year-old businessman was hacked to death by a four-member gang near Kuvathur on East Coast Road (ECR) on Sunday night.

The deceased, identified as Mohanraj, a resident of Kuvathur, owns a fuel station near Kalpakkam on the ECR. On Sunday night, after checking the accounts for the day, Mohanraj was returning home on his bike when the incident happened. Around 11 pm, four men who came on two bikes intercepted Mohanraj and attacked him with sickles and escaped from the spot.

The onlookers alerted the police and the ambulance, and he was rushed to the Chengalpattu Government Hospital. However, the doctors declared Mohanraj dead on arrival.

The Kuvathur police have registered a case and are trying to identify the killers with the help of CCTV footage. An inquiry is under way to identify the motive behind the murder, as it is unclear whether Mohanraj was murdered during a robbery attempt or due to a personal enmity.

Following the murder, on Monday morning, the people from the traders’ association and friends of Mohanraj staged a protest on the ECR demanding immediate action.

Senior police officers arrived at the spot and assured the protestors that special teams had been formed and the killers would be arrested soon. Because of the protest, traffic was affected in ECR for more than an hour.