THOOTHUKUDI: Two persons were arrested by the Kovilpatti West police and a search is on to trace another for allegedly attacking an auto driver and a woman over previous enmity. According to sources, auto driver Gnanaprakasam (55) of Nadarajapuram was brutally hacked by a three-member gang on the AKS Theatre road late on Wednesday. His relative Punitha Mary, who attempted to shield Gnanaprakasam, also sustained injuries in the attack.
Preliminary investigation revealed that the attack was carried out by B Karthick (26) of VOC Nagar, and his friends S Sangili Pandian (30) and Petchimuthu over personal enmity. Around a month back, Karthick, who was allegedly in an inebriated condition, rammed his vehicle onto Gnanaprakasam's car, leading to heated arguments between the duo, which escalated to enmity, sources said.
On Wednesday, Karthick along with Sangiili Pandian and Petchimuthu attacked Gnanaprakasam and Punitha using sharp weapons and fled the scene. A police team, led by sub inspector Senthil Kumar, arrested Pandian and Karthick on Friday, while a search is on to nab Petchimuthu, who is at large. The trio has been booked under sections 341, 294(b), 307, 506(2) of IPC.
Meanwhile, Gnanaprakasam and Mary were taken to Kovilpatti government hospital, and the former was later shifted to Tirunelveli Medical College Hospital owing to severe injuries, sources added.