COIMBATORE: A 25-year-old robbery-cum-murder suspect was shot in the leg by the police at an abandoned building near the foothills of Chinnagoundanur in Sankagiri on Saturday morning, after he attacked police personnel with a sickle while resisting arrest.
The injured suspect has been identified as Niranjan, alias Naresh Kumar, a resident of Bottiyapuram. He is currently undergoing treatment at the Salem Government Hospital after being referred from Sankagiri GH. He was shot in his right leg.
According to police, Naresh Kumar is facing close to 20 robbery cases, including a recent one in which he allegedly killed an elderly woman and robbed her of her stud after smashing her head with stones at Deevattipatti village near Omalur on May 20.
Sarasu, alias Saraswathi, who had gone out grazing cattle, was found dead, and one sovereign of her stud was found missing. Based on a complaint from Saraswathi’s family, a special team was formed to nab the culprit.
Police suspect that Naresh had been involved in similar crimes, especially targeting women who were alone, including an elderly woman at Salem and another at Magudanchavadi. He was also reportedly involved in two-wheeler theft cases in the Virudhunagar police station limits.
Police said the special team, after receiving information about his whereabouts, went to an abandoned building near the Anjaneyar temple in Chinnagoundanur, Sankagiri, where Naresh was hiding.
However, when the team tried to arrest him, the suspect attacked several police personnel, including the sub-inspector and a constable, Senthil Kumar, with a sickle.
In retaliation and for self-defence, a police officer shot him in the right leg and subdued him. Following the incident, fellow police personnel rushed the suspect and the injured officers to Sankagiri hospital. After receiving first aid, the suspect was shifted to Salem GH for further treatment.
Subsequently, Salem Range DIG E.S. Uma and other senior police personnel visited both the scene and the hospital and enquired about the condition of the suspect and the injured police officers.