VILLUPURAM: A 55-year-old petrol bunk manager was murdered by a gang of eight rowdies at his office in Villupuram on Tuesday.
The perpetrators of the crime were identified from CCTV footage recorded in the petrol bunk.
Police suspect that an old ‘mamool’ (extortion) issue from 2018 might be the motive behind the murder and a hunt has been launched to nab them.
Villupuram police say, “Seenuvasan(55) of Panapakkam village was working as a manager in a private petrol bunk at Kamban Nagar. On Tuesday, he was sitting in his cabin when eight men, five in a car and three on a bike, came to the petrol station. One of them rushed into the petrol bunk office and hurled country bombs at Seenuvasan and later hacked him to death using scythes.
The other employees tried to stop the criminals but they threatened them and fled the spot.
Police were informed and the body was sent to Villupuram government medical college hospital in Mundiampakkam for autopsy.
All police stations in Villupuram and nearby districts were alerted and vehicle checks were tightened in the district borders to nab the gang.
Bomb and forensic experts were also called to the spot. Villupuram police filed a case and preliminary inquiry revealed that in March 2018, a rowdy gang asked mamool from the petrol bunk owner Prakash and as he refused to give the amount they attempted to hurl petrol bomb at his house.
Police then identified the perpetrators and they were arrested.
Police added that they suspect Seenuvasan might be murdered in connection with that incident as in 2018 he was the manager of the petrol bunk. They are inquiring further. Seenuvasan stayed in Ananda Nagar with his wife Meera and daughter Sankari.
“We have identified the perpetrators using the CCTV footage and hunt is on to arrest them. The car used by the gang was found at Perangiyur roadside as they left it and escaped from police check,” said SP Jeyakumar to Express.
The Petrol bunk was closed after Seenuvasan was murdered.