Tamil Nadu police say history-sheeter killed in encounter in Tirunelveli

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“When Dindigul sub-inspector Isakki Raja and his team surrounded Murugan near Kalakadu today, he attacked the police officials with sickles. In an act of self-defence, he fired one round from his handgun and Murugan died. A case has been registered at Kalakadu police station and details will be sent to the magistrate,” Saravanan said.

Murugan’s body was sent to the Tirunelveli Government Medical College Hospital for a postmortem. Four policemen who suffered injuries in the head and the chest have also been provided treatment at the district hospital.

The police superintendent said Murugan used to target rob people, especially women, at gunpoint. The police are inquiring if there were more people with him before he died.

The police cordoned off the site of the alleged encounter and were not allowing the public to enter the area.

Murugan, who hailed from Thoothukudi district, was arrested near Valliyur in Tirunelveli in 2019. In 2015, a video of his robbing a schoolteacher in Chennai went viral on social media.

Based on the orders of the director general of police, special teams were formed recently to deal with rowdy elements and gangsters in the state.