Minor road accident leads to youth’s murder in Coimbatore

COIMBATORE: The Coimbatore city police arrested five men on Tuesday for murdering a youth in Kuniyamuthur. The deceased has been identified as J Mohammed Azaruddin, 26, at Sunnambukalavai in Kuniyamuthur. He was a vegetable seller.Police said Azaruddin’s friend Harrish, 22, of Maharaja Colony in Kuniyamuthur and his father Siraj, 50, were riding on a two-wheeler around 10pm on Saturday. When they reached near a petrol bunk in Kuniyamuthur, a speeding motorcycle coming from the opposite direction hit Harrish’s motorcycle. Harrish and his father fell on the road and sustained minor injuries.The father-son duo picked up a quarrel with the other two-wheeler rider, J Nazar, 21, of Prince Avenue in Kuniyamuthur. Meanwhile, Harrish’s friend Ashif reached the spot, and they assaulted Nazar. Later, Harrish and his father went to Coimbatore Medical College Hospital (CMCH) where they underwent treatment. Based on Harrish’s complaint, a community service register (CSR) was issued on Sunday. Both parties compromised and gave written statements to the police.On Sunday night, Saddam, a relative of Nazar, contacted Harrish’s friends over the phone to sort out the issues. Saddam, his friends and supporters of Harrish assembled at Diamond Avenue in Kuniyamuthur around 10pm. Soon a wordy duel ensued between them. Harrish’s friends allegedly assaulted a boy who was with Saddam’s gang. The locals informed the Kuniyamuthur police. All of them fled the scene before the police reached the spot.Around 9.30pm on Monday, Mansoor, a supporter of Saddam, contacted Harrish’s friends Mohammed Azaruddin, Ashif and Thoufiq and asked them to meet him at Diamond Avenue to sort out the issues. Azaruddin reached there alone. A seven-member gang from the opposite side was there. Azaruddin allegedly possessed a knife and assaulted Mohammed Rafiq on his head with it. However, the knife slipped from Azaruddin’s hand and fell on the ground. Mohammed Rafiq took the knife from the ground and stabbed Azaruddin in his abdomen.Ashif and Thoufiq, who reached there by then, rushed Azaruddin to a private hospital. Later, he was referred to CMCH where he died around 2.30 am on Tuesday.The Kuniyamuthur police arrested A Mohammed Rafiq, 30, Samsudeen, 30, Abbas, 29, Saddam, 30, and Mansoor, 28, on Tuesday. The police formed special teams to nab the two other accused who were absconding.