CUDDALORE: A history sheeter wanted in connection with a recent murder was shot in the leg by police after he allegedly tried to attack them, at Neyveli, said the police. The accused, identified as Gopi, had been on the run following the murder of a man named Naresh on August 16.

Acting on specific intelligence, a special police team tracked Gopi to a secluded hideout inside a cashew and casuarina grove near Muthandikuppam and Pulavankuppam.

As they moved in to surround the area and demanded his surrender, Gopi attempted to break through the cordon.

Armed with a sickle, he alleged turned violent and launched an attack on the police in a desperate attempt to escape, officials claimed, adding that facing a threat to their lives, the police opened fire, striking Gopi in the leg and neutralising the assault, they added.

Police disarmed the suspect on the spot and took him into custody, and later admitted him to the Cuddalore government hospital for emergency medical treatment. He was said to be in stable condition.