SALEM: Seven men surrendered before police on Tuesday in connection with the murder of history-sheeter ‘Junction’ David, alias Udhayakumar,41 in Salem.
He was arrested last month in a land fraud case and had secured an anticipatory bail from the Madras high court 18 days ago. On Tuesday, Rajan, 27, Karthik, 25, Sulaiman,29, Mohan, 31, Raghu, 27, Arunkumar, 25, and Manikandan, 28, surrendered before the police near the Karupur tollgate area in connection with the case. However, he lost balance and fell near a rocky area, where the attackers assaulted him repeatedly with weapons.
“We arrested them and produced them at the Salem court for further proceedings,” said a police officer. Udhayakumar had several criminal cases pending against him, including murder and land fraud. The assailants hacked him with sickles. Udhayakumar abandoned his motorcycle and climbed on a flyover wall before jumping down. He succumbed to his injuries on the spot. The assailants fled after the attack. On receiving information, Suramangalam police rushed to the spot, recovered the body and sent it for post-mortem examination.
On Monday morning, after signing at the Central Crime Branch police station as part of his anticipatory bail conditions, Udhayakumar was returning on a two-wheeler when he was chased by more than five people on three motorcycles near the Pudu Road flyover on Steel Plant Road.