CHENNAI: Tension gripped Manali area in the city following the brutal hacking to death of AIADMK councillor Mullai Gnanasekhar (55) by a three-member unidentified gang on Saturday evening.
The victim, councillor for ward 21 of the city Corporation, was reportedly at his friend's shop near the bus stand, when the attack took place. Police said it’s a routine for Gnanasekhar to interact with the public at his friend Tunda Ram's pawn shop.
The incident took place between 5.30 pm to 6 pm. According to eyewitnesses, three people who arrived in a bike forced their entry inside the shop. They were wearing helmets to hide their identity.
Tunda Ram was the first to spot the trio carrying sickles and immediately raised an alarm and ran inside the shop when the men hacked Gnanasekhar to death. Before the perpetrators fled the scene, they ransacked the entire shop and broke windshields of an auto parked in front of the shop.
The deceased got married twice and is survived by five children. Police suspect that that it was a case of business rivalry as Gnanasekhar was into real estate dealings.
Police are examining the CCTV footage obtained from the area. The situation continued to remain tense till late in the night and the police had deployed additional force to maintain law and order.
Gnanasekhar was said to be quite popular in his ward and local residents resorted to a road blockade for a brief period after the incident.