Man fights mobile snatchers, dies after stab

He had suffered injuries on Wednesday after the criminals attacked him with a knife when he refused to give up the phone, and died without responding to treatment at Kilpauk Medical College on Friday.

The deceased person was identified as Raja Kanna (23) from Mayiladuthurai, who was staying in a rented house in Pozhichallur after coming to Chennai in search of employment 20 days ago.

Despite completing a catering course, Raja could not find a good job, forcing him to join work at a food stall near Pozhichallur bus stop.

Around 11.30 pm on Wednesday night, Raja was walking on the road in Ponurangam Nagar when two men on a two-wheeler intercepted and tried to rob him on knifepoint. The duo first checked if the youth had any money. When they found that he did not have any cash on him, they asked him to hand over the smartphone. However, he refused to part with the phone.

When Raja fought back instead of relenting to their demand, the men grew angry and attacked him with a knife. But they had to flee after noticing that a vehicle was approaching the spot where the incident happened, leaving Raja on the road with severe cut injuries.

Seeing this, onlookers alerted the police and the ambulance. Raja was rushed to Chromepet Government Hospital. Doctors there found that the cuts were very deep, affecting even his liver, and shifted him to Rajiv Gandhi Government General Hospital in Chennai. However, on Friday morning, he died without responding to treatments.

The Shankar Nagar police have registered a case and launched a hunt for the attackers.