Chennai: A 22-year-old history-sheeter was hacked to death by a gang on a busy Adyar road on Tuesday morning, minutes after he reported to a police station to comply with his bail conditions. The assailants chased him down in full public view and later posted a reel boasting about the gang’s actions on social media.The victim, Maithreyan, who was released on bail last week, was murdered shortly after reporting to Mylapore police station as part of his bail conditions. Police suspect the murder stemmed from a feud over the killing of the victim’s close friend last Nov. Three suspects have been arrested.Maithreyan from Mylapore, had recently moved to Thiruvanmiyur. Police said he was a C-category history-sheeter with several criminal cases, including attempt to murder, pending against him.According to police, he and his father were returning home in an autorickshaw after he signed the register at Mylapore police station in connection with a ganja case. A gang intercepted their vehicle near a water tank on Indira Nagar Main Road. Armed with knives, the assailants attacked Maithreyan, who attempted to escape. However, the gang chased him down and repeatedly hacked him before fleeing the scene.Passersby alerted the police, who rushed to the spot and shifted Maithreyan to a private hospital in Taramani, where doctors declared him dead. His body was subsequently sent to Government Royapettah Hospital for postmortem. Police also deleted the reel posted by the gang.Preliminary investigations revealed that Maithreyan had a longstanding feud with Jeeva, one of the suspects. Police said Jeeva had murdered Maithreyan’s close friend, Susai, in Nov last year. Following the killing, Maithreyan had reportedly been looking for an opportunity to avenge his friend’s death. Police suspect Jeeva and his associates killed Maithreyan, fearing retaliation.Meanwhile, tension prevailed outside Government Royapettah Hospital where Maithreyan’s relatives staged a protest, alleging that the police had not allowed them to see his body. Policel intervened and explained that the delay was due to procedural formalities involved in transferring the body from the private hospital. The relatives later dispersed.Police and forensic personnel examined the crime scene and collected evidence. Investigators analysed CCTV footage from the locality and identified three suspects, Jeeva, Surya and Vignesh, all aged 19, who were subsequently arrested. Adyar police have registered a murder case and are investigating.
