TIRUNELVELI: In a brutal gang war that has its genesis in a street clash in 2007, a gang killed a 40-year-old man and his five-year-old son and left his 15-year-old son fighting for life in a deadly attack near Veeravanallur in Tirunelveli on Thursday evening. The deceased were identified by police as C Kalimuthu and his son K Jayaraj. K Chinnadurai, another son of Kalimuthu, is undergoing treatment at a hospital.
The car-borne gang rammed their vehicle into the two-wheeler on which the victims were travelling, before attacking them with machetes. The boy died in the impact of the collision.
The gang severed Kalimuthu’s head and placed it on the Tirunelveli-Ambasamudram State Highway, triggering panic among the public. All the three victims are from Moolachi village near Kallidaikurichi.
The rivalry between the attackers, who are suspected to be relatives of K Perumalpandi of the same village, and Kalimuthu’s father Chithiraputhiran began in 2007.
“The clash led to the registration of cases against both groups by the Kallidaikurichi police. The rivalry later intensified with a series of retaliatory murders. On Chithiraputhiran’s side, he and his relatives Subramanian, Perumal, Papanasam and Kumar were killed. The rival group had lost Perumalpandi, Subbiah and Chinnathambi in retaliatory attacks so far,” sources said.
On Thursday, the gang allegedly followed Kalimuthu’s two-wheeler in a car and on a few two-wheelers. When Kalimuthu was passing through the Vallathunambikulam area, the gang launched the attack.
Police protection provided to both families: SP
The gang then attacked Chinnadurai and murdered Kalimuthu. Speaking to TNIE, Tirunelveli Superintendent of Police Vishwesh P Sastri said four inspectors, six sub-inspectors and other police personnel had been formed into a special team to nab the suspects.
“We have provided police protection to the houses of both families to prevent any untoward incident. We will soon secure the suspects,” he said. Sources said Perumalpandi’s relatives, including Mahesh, Murugan and nine others, were absconding.
Deputy Inspector General of Police R Thirunavukkarasu and the SP inspected the crime scene and Moolachi village and instructed police personnel deployed there. The bodies were shifted to Tirunelveli Medical College Hospital for postmortem.