Car driver hacked to death over property dispute

Krishnagiri: An unidentified gang hacked a 36-year-old car driver to death over a property dispute near his village in Hosur here on Tuesday night.The Bagalur police identified the deceased as Lokesh, of Kattikhanapalli, near Hosur. He is survived by his wife Bhavani and two children. According to an investigation officer, the incident took place when Lokesh was heading to his house for dinner. "He was driving a tourist car. When he neared the village water tank, he received a phone call. The caller asked him to stop his car near a tree in the locality, where a three-member gang confronted him. After a heated argument, the gang attacked him with a knife and fled the scene." Lokesh suffered severe injuries to his head, face and neck and died on the spot, the officer said. When alerted, the Bagalur police sent the body to the govt hospital in Hosur for postmortem Police also pressed a sniffer dog into service in their attempt to gather evidence in the case. Pointing out that Lokesh and his relatives were involved in a long-running property dispute, the officer said he might have been murdered in connection with the discord. "We have registered a case and launched a manhunt for the suspects." (Photos: S Parthiban)