Lawyer, witness in court murder case, hacked to death in Thoothukudi

MADURAI: An armed gang allegedly murdered a 43-year-old lawyer in Thoothukudi late on Wednesday afternoon. The victim has been identified as P Muthukumar, a resident of Sorispuram, Thoothukudi. The brutal murder occurred near a pawn shop, which’s owned by the victim, source said. The gang of seven, who reached the pawn shop by three bikes, attacked the lawyer with deadly weapons such as machetes and knives. The gang hacked him indiscriminately, leaving him dead in a pool of blood. Thoothukudi Superintendent of Police L Balaji Saravanan and the Sipcot police inspected the scene of crime. Preliminary inquiries revealed that the victim Muthukumar was a prime witness in the murder of Sivakumar, who belonged to Korampallam. Sivakumar was murdered near Thoothukudi court two years ago. Hence, it’s suspected to be a case of revenge killing. However, the Sipcot police have filed a case and a hunt is launched to nab the accused, sources said.