Police said the chain snatcher opened fire as he tried to escape. (Representational)
A man who allegedly created panic among the public by opening fire after snatching a chain from a woman was gunned down at Sriperumbudur near Chennai, police said today.
Murthasa (25), hailing from Jharkhand, snatched a gold chain from the 55-year-old woman waiting to board a bus near a toll plaza and fled along with his accomplice Naim Akthar, said the police. The woman raised an alarm and people chased the fleeing duo when Murthasa whipped out a gun and opened fire, said the police. No one was injured, they said.
Following the incident, Kancheepuram district superintendent formed teams to track and arrest the culprits, the police said. The teams traced the duo to a spot near the Mevalurkuppam Lake at Sriperumbudur and surrounded Murthasa, they said. "But, he tried to escape after firing at the police and was killed in retaliatory fire," a senior official said. Naim Akthar was arrested, and the gun and other weapons were seized, the police said.
Investigation was on to ascertain if the duo was involved in shooting and injuring a staff of the State-owned TASMAC liquor outlet at Oragadam near here on October 4, they added.
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