SRIKAKULAM: In a scene straight out of a movie, a group of men chased a person in broad daylight and tried to kill him with country-made pistols (tapanchas) at PL Devipeta in the district Saturday.
The victim, however, escaped from the assailants, but only after sustaining two bullet injuries. He has been admitted to Rajiv Institute of Medical Sciences (RIMS) at Srikakulam and his condition is said to be stable.
Though neither the victim nor his family members could identify the attackers, the police suspect that old rivalry might have led to the attack.
According to the police, the victim, G Appanna, was a former sarpanch of PL Devipeta village and was going to the market on a motor cycle Saturday morning.
On the way to the market near an isolated place, he found the road blocked with large boulders. All of a sudden, some people with tapanchas started chasing and firing at him. Appanna ran into the nearby farmlands and escaped from them, but was already hit by two bullets - one in the leg and back.
He then reached SC colony in the village and fell unconscious.
The locals noticed him and alerted the police as well as emergency services. Burja sub-inspector of police N Lakshman reached the spot and visited the area where he was attacked. They also shifted Appanna to an area hospital in Palakonda and then to RIMS-Srikakulam for better treatment.
The police suspect that the victim was attacked by Ramanaiah, Tulasi, Balaram and Kami Naidu of Narendrapuram village in the district, who had conflicts with Appanna in the past. His family members alleged that though he approached the police many times earlier stating that he is facing a threat, he was not given protection.
Based on a complaint lodged by Appanna’s family members, the police registered a case and took up investigation.