TIRUCHY: A fruit vendor was hacked to death in Thanjavur reportedly over business rivalry on Monday while the police registered a case against five persons and are searching for them. It is said, Hariharan (26), a resident from Needamangalam in Tiruvarur, a fruit stall owner went to Tiruchy to purchase fruits along with his friends Vinod (24) and Rajamurugan (26) in a load auto and Vinod was driving the auto. When the auto was nearing Vallam in Tiruchy-Thanjavur bypass, two persons on a two-wheeler stopped the auto and started attacking driver Vinod with a sickle. Soon, Hariharan was pulled out and attacked with lethal weapons killing the man on spot. Rajamurugam who saw the incident from a distance, raised an alarm. Vallam police rushed to the spot and retrieved the body and sent it to the Thanjavur Medical College hospital. The police also rescued the injured auto driver Vinod. Based on the information, the police are searching for five persons.