COIMBATORE: A 30-year-old man was hacked and shot dead by a gang in public view in the city on Sunday. The incident happened around 7 pm near the S-bend on Nava India-Gandhipuram road in Coimbatore city.
Police identified the victim as R Sathya Pandi of Madurai. He was working in a real estate firm and stayed in Vilankurichi. On Sunday evening, after visiting a relative, he went to a tender coconut shop near the S-bend and returning by foot when a five-member gang came in two bikes and shot at him with a gun. Police said the gang fired three rounds at Sathya Pandi, and also hacked him with a sickle. He died on the spot. Even as the public watched in panic, the gang sped away.
On being alerted, police teams rushed to the spot and retrieved the sent the body for autopsy. Deputy Commissioner of Police (Coimbatore North) G Chandeesh inspected the spot. Eight teams have been formed and they are collecting footage from CCTV cameras in the area. Racecourse police registered a case. Police said Sathya Pandi faced two cases, including murder, in 2020. They suspect he could have been murdered by a rival gang.