COIMBATORE: Two persons escaped with minor injuries when a six-member gang hacked them in full public view while they were returning from the district court after appearing for a hearing on Tuesday. The incident happened in front of a marriage hall on Ramar Kovil Street in the busy Ram Nagar area.
The victims were identified as N Ranjith (23) of Gandhipuram, who runs an audio service shop, and T Nithish Kumar (21) of Ganapathi, who is a choreographer. According to police, Ranjith faces a ganja peddling case in Rathinapuri police station and Nithish had a harassment case at Saravanampatti police limit. On Tuesday morning they went to the Coimbatore combined court complex for a hearing and were returning on a two-wheeler with a friend Karthik Kumar.
The six-member gang allegedly followed them on two bikes from the entrance of the police commissioner’s office, but the victims did not realise it. When they entered Ramar Kovil Street, the gang surrounded them and assaulted them with machetes. Ranjith and Nithish sustained cut injuries but managed to escape and hid in the next street. Two assailants wore helmets and the others had covered their faces with cloth. One of them was identified as Ravindhra of Kovilpalayam.
On being informed, Kattoor police rescued them and admitted them to Coimbatore Medical College Hospital. Two special teams were formed to arrest the suspects. Police suspect the involvement of Unnikrishnan of Saravanampatti, a suspect in a 2021 murder case.
This is the third public gang attack in the city this year. On February 12, realtor R Sathyapandi (30) was hacked and shot dead by a four-member gang near Nava India. The next day, 24-year-old G Gokul from Kovilpalayam was murdered by a rival gang near the court complex.