Chief Minister, leaders pay homage to slain Tamil Nadu cop

The body of S Periyapandian was brought here from Jaipur via Ahmedabad by a private airline and kept at the airport for the leaders to pay their homage.

Wearing a black arm-badge, the Chief Minister placed a wreath before the casket carrying the slain police official's mortal remains which was draped in the Indian tricolour and decked with flowers.

Deputy Chief Minister O Panneerselvam, Leader of Opposition in the state assembly and DMK Working President M K Stalin, Chief Secretary Girija Vaidyanathan, Home Secretary Niranjan Mardi, state police chief TK Rajendiran and City Police Commissioner AK Viswanathan were among those who paid homage.

Police honours were given to the slain inspector.

Periyapandian's body will later be flown to Madurai and taken to his native village in Tirunelveli district by road.

Inspector of Law and Order, Maduravoyal police station here, Periyapandian was killed in a shoot-out in Rajasthan's Pali district in the early hours of yesterday when he led a special team to nab suspects wanted in connection with a gold heist in the city.

Four other police personnel were injured in the incident.

Palaniswami had yesterday announced Rs one crore as relief to the family of the slain police officer and said the state government will bear the educational expenses of his two sons.

He had said the five-member team had gone to Rajasthan in search of one Nathuram and some of his accomplices in connection with the heist.

When the team surrounded the culprits in their hideout in Pali district, the latter opened fire at the police personnel, killing Periyapandian, he had said.

Last month, robbers, suspected to be from Rajasthan, had decamped with about 3 kg of gold from a jewellery shop at Kolathur here, after entering it by drilling a hole in the ceiling.

Four persons hailing from Rajasthan had been earlier arrested in connection with the incident.