TIRUVANNAMALAI: A prominent AIADMK member was hacked to death in public view by three armed men, alleged supporters of the DMK, in the temple town of Tiruvannamalai in northern Tamil Nadu this morning.
S Kanagaraj, aged 40, was the ruling AIADMK party's town secretary until a few months ago before he was removed from the post.
Police sources said a dispute over money was the trigger for the attack.
A resident of Sannathi Street near in Tiruvannamalai, Kanagaraj was going back home on a two wheeler after badminton practice at a sports centre when a car knocked him down from behind near
Thirumanjana Gopuram at around 7 am, police sources said.
He was thrown from the vehicle and the assailants hacked him to death with a knife and a sickle. Kanagaraj died on the spot.
The three assailants, named as Babu (28), Raja (35) and Saravanan (30), later surrendered before the Tiruvannamalai town police station.
Police said the trio had reportedly sold land worth of Rs 5 crore to Kanagaraj a year ago and he in turn sold it to a third party. However, Kanagaraj did not pay them the money as agreed. After repeated attempts to get him to pay went vain, the three men murdered him, police sources said, citing a statement recorded
by the accused.
Tiruvannamalai town assistant superintendent of police Ravali Priya Gandhapuneni inspected the crime scene. Police are
investigating the case.