Five-member gang kills auto driver in Chromepet, arrested

CHENNAI: A 26-year-old auto driver was abducted and hacked to death by a gang near Chromepet on Monday night.

The victim, Vinoth Kumar of Durga Nagar in Chromepet, had gone to a Tasmac bar near Nagalkeni on Pallavaram–Thiruneermalai Road along with his friend Vimalraj to celebrate his friend Poongavanam’s birthday on September 24.

After celebrating the occasion, the group stepped out of the bar around 10 pm. At that time, a five-member gang arrived in an autorickshaw and forcefully took Vinoth away along with his vehicle. Shocked, his friends alerted the police control room. Tambaram police checked CCTV footage and tracked his mobile phone signal in an effort to trace him.

Early on Monday, Vinoth’s body was found in an open ground at Kurinji Nagar, Tambaram, near his bloodstained autorickshaw. Investigations revealed that the gang had attacked him with sharp weapons inside the moving auto before dumping his body.

Tambaram police registered a case and sent the body for post-mortem to the government hospital.

Police sources said a dispute related to share auto operations and advance payments is suspected to be the reason for the murder. Vinoth Kumar also had pending assault cases at Tambaram and Chromepet police stations. Vinoth had a few pending cases, including an assault against him in Chromepet and Tambaram stations.

On Tuesday noon, the police arrested Rajesh (26) of Perungalathur, Gunasekaran (24) of Tambaram, Manikandan (24) of Urapakkam, Prem Kumar (30) of Irumbuliyur and Jebastin (27) of Old Perungalathur for the murder, and further investigation is on.