CHENNAI: A 23-year-old man who tried to rescue a woman who was allegedly being kidnapped by a three-member gang in an autorickshaw was run over by the vehicle in a desperate attempt by the perpetrators to flee. The woman was rescued after she jumped off the vehicle after a hot chase by the victim and four of his friends. The incident took place on Thursday night. The victim, Yagesh from Kondanjeri village in Tiruvallur district, an engineering graduate, succumbed to his injuries at the hospital in Chennai on Saturday night.
According to the police, the woman had visited a friend in Mappedu. While returning, she took a share auto. There were two other men in the vehicle besides the driver. Since it was a share auto, the woman, a beautician by profession, did not suspect anything. After a while, she realised that the vehicle was not going in the right direction and questioned the driver. At this point, the other two threatened and misbehaved with her, said the police.
“The woman then raised an alarm. At Kondanjeri, Yagesh and his friends Esther Premkumar, Vineeth, Franklin and Charlie, who heard her cries for help chased the three-wheeler. “The vehicle reached Kondanjeri village near Kadambathur, 13 km away from the place where the woman boarded, when the five men heard her cries for help,” said a police officer.
“We were chit chatting under a tree when the vehicle passed us and we heard a woman’s cries. Realising she was in trouble, Yagesh suggested we go after the vehicle and rescue the woman. We had four two-wheelers and we started to chase the auto,” Franklin told Express. After chasing for almost three km, the woman somehow managed to jump out of the vehicle and while others tended to her, Yagesh and Franklin chased the auto on two bikes. “After crossing Kadambathur, Yagesh overtook the vehicle and signalled it to stop. But, fearing being caught the driver revved up and knocked down the two-wheeler and Yagesh fell on the roadside. The autorickshaw then sped away and I alerted others,” added Franklin.
While the woman was sent to Government Hospital in Tiruvallur, Yagesh was rushed to the Rajiv Gandhi Government General Hospital, where he succumbed on Saturday night. Mappedu police have registered a case. A police officer said as local body elections are on, it is difficult for them to trace the men and start the investigation.