TIRUNELVELI: A history-sheeter accused of attacking members of the public during a violent assault in Tenkasi district was shot in the leg and apprehended after he allegedly attacked a police constable with a sickle while attempting to evade arrest, police said.
The accused, identified as Ayyappan (21) of Nettur, was admitted to the hospital for treatment after the police firing. Head Constable Muthukumar, who sustained injuries in the alleged sickle attack, was also hospitalised.
According to police, Ayyappan was among the key suspects in a case involving a group that allegedly attacked several people during a wedding at Nettur near Alangulam. The violence reportedly stemmed from a dispute over the installation of flex banners.
Police said a group of nine persons arrived on three motorcycles wearing masks and allegedly attacked people in the area with sickles. Six persons — Ramesh (49), his son Arulmaran (23), Santhoshkumar (21), Rayappan (18), Ramkumar (20) and Madasamy (19) — sustained injuries and were admitted to Palayamkottai Government Hospital for treatment.
The group allegedly carried out another attack at Therkupatti village near Manur, injuring Abdul Rahuman (34) and Mubarak (30), before fleeing the scene.
Following instructions from Tirunelveli Range Deputy Inspector General of Police (in-charge) Deshmukh Sekhar Sanjay, special teams from Tirunelveli and Tenkasi districts launched a search operation. Using drone surveillance, police arrested five persons and three juveniles in connection with the case. They are being questioned, police said.
During the search for other suspects, police received information that Ayyappan was hiding near Arasankulam in the Mukkudal area. When a special police team attempted to apprehend him, he allegedly attacked Head Constable Muthukumar with a sickle.
Police said Ayyappan was shot in the right leg in self-defence and taken into custody.
He was initially admitted to Cheranmahadevi Government Hospital and later shifted to Palayamkottai Government Hospital for further treatment. Superintendent of Police Prasanna Kumar visited the injured head constable in the hospital and enquired about his treatment.
Police said Ayyappan faces multiple criminal cases, including murder charges, at Alangulam police station and had been placed under surveillance as a history-sheeter. Efforts are underway to trace six more suspects allegedly involved in the attacks.