Tamil Nadu Journalist, 27, Hacked To Death By Alleged Drug Dealers

A television journalist in Tamil Nadu's Kancheepuram district was hacked to death on Sunday, allegedly by a gang of drug dealers who suspected that he had alerted the authorities about them, police said. Four men have been arrested in connection with the murder.

Isravel Moses, 27, was called out of his house on Sunday evening and hacked to death, police said. His family initially thought the attackers were his friends.

The accused are part of a gang involved in alleged sale of encroached land and selling drugs around a local lake, police said. "Moses had not telecast any news report on this issue," an officer told NDTV.  

The father of the victim, Gnanaraj, has alleged the district police did not take any action on his son's complaint that his life was in danger.

Police, however, denied the charge. "We did not receive any such information from him. This murder is purely due to personal vengeance and land issue," D Shanmugapriya, the district police chief, said. Senior journalist, Bharathi Tamizhan, has slammed the police over the allegation.

"Moses had received death threat after he reported on anti-social activities including sale of ganja in areas under Somangalam police station limits. His murder has happened amid inaction by police. This murder for a news highlights the shameful lack of security for journalists in Tamil Nadu," she said in a statement.