17-yr-old hacked to death by gang in suspected revenge murder

Pudukottai: A 17-year-old boy was hacked to death by a gang near Annavasal in Pudukottai district on Thursday night in what police suspect to be a personally motivated killing linked to an earlier murder case.The deceased was identified as M Anbuselvan, son of Murugesan, from Perumanadu village near Annavasal. Police said Anbuselvan had completed an ITI course and was working at a private company in Hosur. He had recently returned to his native village for a vacation and to attend court proceedings in a pending murder case.According to police, the incident occurred late on Thursday night when Anbuselvan was parking his two-wheeler near a Tasmac outlet in Perumanadu. A group of unidentified assailants, who were allegedly lying in wait, attacked him with sickles. He sustained severe injuries and died on the spot.Annavasal police recovered the body and sent it to the govt medical college hospital in Pudukottai for postmortem examination. A case has been registered and investigations are under way.Police sources said Anbuselvan was one of the accused in the 2024 murder of Sathyaraj, a resident of the same village. Investigators said Anbuselvan and his maternal uncle Muruganandam had allegedly attacked and killed Sathyaraj following a dispute arising out of previous enmity. After being released on bail in the case, Anbuselvan had reportedly been staying in Hosur due to security concerns.Preliminary investigations indicate that associates of Sathyaraj may have carried out the attack as an act of revenge. Police have detained several suspects for inquiry and further investigations are on.