COIMBATORE: Coimbatore city police secured six persons in connection with the alleged murder of a 40-year-old man, who happens to be a supporter of a Hindu outfit.
According to a senior police officer, Katoor police have booked a case against eight persons. Seven were suspected to have been directly involved in the murder and the remaining one could have played a secondary role.
Six persons, aged between 25 and 35, from the gang were secured on Monday and interrogation is underway, the officer said.
The count of special teams for investigating the case was increased to four, from three, and a search is on for two others involved in the murder. Besides, the police are working to ascertain the motive behind the murder, the official said.
The deceased C Biju (40), from Dhanalakshmi Nagar in Avarampalayam, had been running a juice shop at Gokhale Street in Ram Nagar. He was said to be a supporter of a Hindu outfit. On Sunday afternoon, he was hacked to death by an unidentified seven-member gang near his shop in full public view. The investigation revealed that he was murdered over a previous enmity between two groups.
The deceased person had been a mediator between the two groups, police said, adding that he tried to settle the issues amicably.
However, his efforts went in vain on Saturday when a group member named Nithish Kumar was stabbed by persons from the rival group near Saibaba colony in the city. The friends of the injured persons had hacked Biju in retaliation, said, police officials.