CHENNAI: Two, including a 17-year-old, were hacked to death at Tirusulam near Pallavaram on Sunday night, allegedly due to previous enmity between two groups in the area. The police said eight suspects have been secured in connection with the murders.
The deceased have been identified as N Arumugam (20) and N Sathish (17), both residents of Mudichur near Tambaram. While Arumugam had several criminal cases pending against him, Sathish, a painter, had none.
The police said the duo had been staying for the past few days in a hut belonging to one of their relatives on Thulasingam Mudaliar Street in Tirusulam. Some of their friends had also been visiting them frequently during the period.
On Sunday night, a gang allegedly led by one Deepak barged into the hut armed with weapons. As Arumugam and Sathish attempted to escape, the gang chased and cornered them before attacking them. The duo sustained severe injuries and collapsed on the spot, while the assailants fled the scene.
Hearing the commotion, the neighbours rushed to the hut and found the youth lying in a pool of blood. They Pallavaram police rushed to the spot and sent the bodies to the Chengalpattu Government Hospital for postmortem.
The police initially suspected the murders were linked to rivalry over alleged ganja sales in the locality. However, the officials later said the killings stemmed from long-standing enmity between the two groups.