COIMBATORE: Police opened fire at two suspects, out of the seven who were arrested in Nilgiris on Tuesday in connection with the murder of a 24-year-old man near the Coimbatore Court Complex, in their legs after they allegedly tried to escape. Coimbatore city police arrested seven suspects - J Joshua (23), S Gowtham (24), M Hari alias Gowtham (24), C Bharani Soundar (20), V Arunkumar (21) and J Daniel (27) - in connection with the case. All the seven were working as daily wage labourers in the city.
Police traced the suspects in Coonoor by tracking their mobiles and a special team led by Deputy Commissioner (North) G Chandeesh reached there. Nilgiris police meanwhile tightened vehicle checks. “Suspecting that police are on their trail, the gang went to Ooty at night and then to Kotagiri on four bikes. The gang was caught during vehicle check at Kattapettu junction on Tuesday afternoon and were handed over to the Coimbatore City police,” sources said.
Around 4 pm, when police were bringing them back, Joshua and Gowtham tried to escape near Mettupalayam. Explaining what happened. Commissioner of Police V Balakrishnan said Joshua and Gowtham requested police personnel escorting them to stop the vehicle to relieve themselves. When the vehicle stopped in an isolated place near the forest college campus, they ran towards the bushes, picked up weapons and started attacking the police. “We had to open fire to restrain and prevent them from escaping. They were shot in their legs,” Balakrishnan said.
The two attacked Sub Inspector Yusuf of Saibaba Colony police station with sickles, and he suffered injuries in his hand. “We had to fire at them in self-defence. The team fired four shots at them. Two bullets pierced the right leg of Joshua. Gowtham was shot in his left leg and one misfired,” the commissioner said. Two sickles were seized from them.
When asked how the two found weapons in an isolated place, Balakrishnan said the gang had hidden weapons there while fleeing from Coimbatore. Joshua and Gowtham were admitted in Coimbatore MCH, while the others were remanded. The gang have been booked under sections 302, 147, 148, 120 (B) and 506 (II) of IPC.