Notorious criminal shot dead in encounter near Cuddalore; his four aides held

CUDDALORE: A 20-year-old repeat offender was shot dead in an encounter when he attempted to escape after attacking two policemen with a sword near Cuddalore on Wednesday.

The deceased has been identified as G Vijay alias Motta Vijay from Veeman Nagar, Thilaspet in Puducherry. Police earlier arrested four of his aides, including a 17-year-old minor boy, all hailing from Puducherry.

Cuddalore superintendent of police S Jeyakumar told reporters that Vijay, who was wanted by the police in more than 30 cases, including attempted murder, burglary, and waylay robbery, was hiding in a cashew nut grove at M Puthur in Cuddalore district. He said Vijay was the main accused in three robberies that took place within a few minutes in the early hours of Wednesday, and police formed special teams to nab him.

A team of policemen raided the grove, and Vijay, upon spotting them, attacked two policemen with a sword, causing them to sustain injuries. Inspector Chandran attempted to nab him, but Vijay tried to attack him with the sword. In an act of self-defence, the inspector shot him. Vijay sustained bullet injuries and died instantly.

Jeyakumar said a gang of six people on three motorcycles attacked a motorist with a sword and robbed him of his mobile phone at 2.20 am on Wednesday. The same gang later attacked a lorry driver, who was resting after parking his lorry at Periyapattu.

They assaulted him with a sword and robbed him of Rs 3,000 in cash and his mobile phone at 3am. Within 15 minutes, the same gang attacked another lorry driver with a sword after he refused to hand over his cash and mobile phone.

Jeyakumar said police formed three special teams led by three DSPs and arrested four of Vijay’s aides, identified as A Revanth Kumar, 21, and A Anbarasu, 20, both from Oulgaret, Puducherry; M. Riyas Ahamed, 22, from Thirubhuvanai, Puducherry; and a 17-year-old minor boy from Puducherry. Police seized one of the motorcycles used to commit the crime and four mobile phones.