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TIRUPPUR, TAMIL NADU<\/strong> \u2014 In a major development following the brutal murder of a police special sub-inspector, the main accused, identified as Manikandan, was shot dead in a police encounter in Tiruppur district on Thursday. According to police, the accused was killed in “self-defense” after he allegedly attacked a police officer while being taken to the crime scene.<\/p>\n\n\n\n TIRUPPUR, TAMIL NADU \u2014 In a major development following the brutal murder of a police special sub-inspector, the main accused, identified as Manikandan, was shot dead in a police encounter in Tiruppur district on Thursday. According to police, the accused was killed in “self-defense” after he allegedly attacked a police officer while being taken to…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":5676,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"nf_dc_page":"","om_disable_all_campaigns":false,"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[17],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-5675","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-tamilnadu"],"yoast_head":"\n
The encounter took place near the Upparu stream in Chikkanur. Police sources stated that Manikandan was being taken by a special team to the location to recover the sickle he had used to murder the officer. During the operation, he reportedly tried to attack Assistant Inspector Saravanakumar with the weapon and flee. In response, Saravanakumar opened fire, killing Manikandan on the spot. Saravanakumar sustained an injury to his hand during the scuffle and has been hospitalized.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The incident is the latest twist in the case of the murder of Special Sub-Inspector M. Shanmugavel (57), who was hacked to death on Tuesday night. Shanmugavel, attached to the Gudimangalam police station, was responding to a distress call about a domestic dispute at a farmhouse owned by an AIADMK MLA. The dispute was between Moorthy, a farm worker, and his two sons, Manikandan and Thangapandian, who were allegedly under the influence of alcohol.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
When Shanmugavel intervened to de-escalate the situation and arrange for an ambulance for the injured father, Manikandan allegedly attacked the officer with a sickle from behind, killing him instantly. The other police officer with him managed to escape and alert the authorities.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
A massive manhunt was launched for the three accused. While the father Moorthy and younger son Thangapandian were secured by police after they attempted to surrender, Manikandan had remained at large. Six special teams were formed to track him down.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The death of SI Shanmugavel had sent shockwaves across the state. Tamil Nadu Chief Minister M.K. Stalin had expressed profound sorrow and announced a solatium of \u20b91 crore to the deceased officer’s family, calling the incident an “irreparable loss.” The police encounter has brought a swift end to the pursuit of the prime suspect, though it is likely to be followed by an official inquiry into the circumstances of the firing.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"