Man stabbed to death in Salem, 11 arrested

SALEM: A 28-year-old man was stabbed to death by a gang of drunk men near Omalur here on Friday night when he asked them to drive slowly. The Omalur police have arrested 11 people in connection with the incident.
A police officer identified the deceased as M Vishnupriyan, 28, of Pudukadai Colony in Chakkaraichettipatty village. An engineer with a private firm in Chennai, he had returned home following the lockdown.According to the officer, Vishnupriyan had got married to 24-year-old Deepa Sri just two months ago.
The incident, the officer said, took place when Vishnupriyan was chatting with his friends at Pottiyapuram bus stop around 10pm on Friday.
“More than 20 people came speeding their bikes under the influence of alcohol. Vishnupriyan asked one of the bikers to drive slowly. Irked, all the bikers surrounded him and started arguing with him. At one stage, they started assaulting him. Suddenly, one of them stabbed Vishnupriyan with a knife,” the officer said.
Hearing him cry for help, Vishnupriya’s brother M Navin rushed to the spot and he was also attacked by the gang, which fled as villagers reached the spot.
They rushed the duo to the Salem Government Mohan Kumaramangalam Medical College and Hospital. “But Vishnupriyan succumbed to his injuries on the way to the hospital. His brother’s condition is stable,” said district superintendent of police Deepa S Ganigar.
Meanwhile, the kin of the deceased managed to nab one of the bikers and tied him to a tree. With his help, police identified the other members of the gang.
“More than 20 people are involved in the case. Four special teams have been formed to nab them. We have arrested 11 of them so far. It was V Karthi, 23, of Chakkaraichettipatty, who stabbed Vishnupriyan,” the SP said.
On Saturday morning, the SP handed over a cheque for Rs 4.25 lakh as a compensation to the wife of the deceased under the SC/ST Act.
All the arrested have been lodged in the Salem Central Prison under judicial custody. The Omalur police have registered a case under Section 302 (murder) of the Indian Penal Code read with Prevention of Atrocities of SC/ST Act, 1989.