TIRUCHY: High tension prevailed near the Thirumandurai Toll Plaza in Perambalur district on Saturday after a 15-member gang carried out a bomb attack on a history-sheeter being escorted by police to Puzhal Central Prison in Chennai.
In the daylight attack, six country-made bombs were hurled, leaving two Armed Reserve police personnel seriously injured and prompting retaliatory firing by the escort team.
The injured policemen, S Vineshkumar (37) from Puliyangudi in Tenkasi district and K Maruthapandi (30) of Vadipatti in Madurai district, were rushed to the Perambalur Government Hospital, where they are undergoing treatment. Their condition is reported to be stable.
According to police sources, the accused, S Kalimuthu alias Vellakali (30), hails from Kamarajapuram in Madurai district and is a history-sheeter. More than 30 criminal cases, including robbery, ganja smuggling, attempt to murder and murder, have been registered against him across multiple districts. He is a convicted prisoner in a ganja case and was lodged at Puzhal Central Prison.
On January 21, Vellakali was brought from Puzhal Prison to the Pudukkottai Special Court in connection with another ganja case. He was escorted in a police van under the supervision of Perunagar Armed Reserve Sub-Inspector R Ramachandran (54), along with Armed Reserve personnel Vineshkumar and Maruthapandi. After the court proceedings, he was lodged at the Dindigul Sub Jail to attend hearings in other pending cases.
On Saturday morning, the police team was transporting Vellakali from Dindigul Sub Jail back to Puzhal Prison in a police van driven by Vineshkumar. While approaching the Thirumandurai Toll Plaza on the Tiruchy–Chennai National Highway, the team stopped at a private hotel for lunch. As the police personnel were having food along with the prisoner, a 15-member gang arrived in two vehicles and hurled six country-made bombs targeting Vellakali.
Reacting swiftly, Sub-Inspector Ramachandran fired around 10 rounds from his service SLR towards the attackers. The gang fled the scene in two vehicles, abandoning one car at Eluthur in Cuddalore district and escaping in the other. Vellakali was secured from the scene and later lodged in Tiruchy Central Prison.
During the attack, Vineshkumar and Maruthapandi sustained serious injuries. On receiving information, Mangalamedu police rushed to the spot, rescued the injured personnel and admitted them to the Perambalur Government Hospital. They were later shifted to Tiruchy MGMGH for further treatment.
Perambalur Superintendent of Police GS Anitha and Central Zone Inspector General V Balakrishnan visited the spot and initiated an investigation. Mangalamedu police subsequently registered a case and seized the abandoned vehicle, along with weapons found inside it.
Speaking to reporters, IG Balakrishnan said, “As an attack was carried out on the prisoner, the Sub-Inspector fired from his SLR towards the gang. Following the incident, five special teams have been formed to arrest the criminals who fled the spot.”
A senior police official told TNIE that the gang had been following the police vehicle from Dindigul and executed the attack in Perambalur district. “Preliminary investigations revealed the assault was pre-planned, with the attackers closely monitoring the prisoner’s movement. Special teams are analysing CCTV footage along the route, and efforts are on to identify and apprehend all those involved.”
Opposition leader Edappadi K Palaniswami condemned the incident, saying, “Criminals show no fear of the police or government, and law and order is being mocked. I strongly condemn CM MK Stalin for not allowing the police to act freely.”