COIMBATORE: A special team of police from Salem on Wednesday arrested four members of a six-member gang for brutally murdering a history-sheeter in full public view in Salem.
M Madhan Kumar from Periyar Street in Thoothukudi was in a hotel with his wife when three persons hacked him to death on Tuesday morning.
On conditional bail for murdering S Maradona (30), of Lourdammalpuram in Thoothukudi, following an altercation in April, Madhan had visited the Hasthampatti police station on Tuesday morning to sign as part of his bail condition.
After which, he visited a nearby hotel to have breakfast, when the assailants murdered him and sped away on two two-wheelers. After investigations, the police apprehended the culprits, identified as Hari Prasad (26), Antony alias Vallarasu (24), Jaya Surya (26), and Santhosh (22), all hailing from Thoothukudi. They were hiding in Palani.
Inquiries revealed that the assailants executed the murder in revenge after Madhan killed one Kutty at a Tasmac bar in Thoothukudi in 2019. In their first murder attempt, Madhan survived, but lost two fingers.
Interestingly, Hari Prasad and his gang members, who were unaware of the whereabouts of Madhan, created fake Instagram IDs in the name of the victim’s friends and got to know his location in Salem directly from the victim himself. Police said Hari Prasad is a history-sheeter facing several attempt to murder cases in Thoothukudi.
After the post-mortem examination, the body of the deceased was handed over to his wife on Tuesday night. Further inquiries are on to nab two other absconding accused persons.