CHENNAI: A 50-year-old notorious criminal, 'Dokkan' Raja was allegedly hacked to death by a yet-to-be-identified gang at Pallakuma Nagar in Mylapore on Sunday evening.

Raja was long associated with history-sheeter, CD Mani and was last arrested by the city police in December 2022, after which he came out on bail. At the time of his arrest, media reports stated that Raja was also a functionary with the Tamil Nadu BJP's youth wing.

On Sunday evening, around 7.30 pm, Raja was walking along the bylanes in Pallakuma Nagar near Luz corner when a gang rounded him up and attacked him with weapons. Raja ran for cover in one of the housing quarters and the gang chased him and hacked him, leaving him in a pool of blood.

The gang fled the scene before police reached the scene on the information. Police moved Raja to a hospital where he was declared brought dead.

Mylapore Police have launched a search for the suspects.

Raja is a habitual offender and is prone to have several enemies. According to the police, Raja has at least 27 pending cases against him since 2001 and most of the offences include attempt to murder cases, extortion and similar cases.