Vellore, November 10: A 45-year-old man was shot dead and his friend seriously injured in a country-made firearm attack near Gudiyatham in Tamil Nadu's Vellore district on Sunday evening, in an attack police said was allegedly carried out over previous enmity. Police said on Tuesday that the accused was later shot in the leg after he allegedly attacked a police sub-inspector and attempted to escape during a weapon-recovery operation.

The deceased was identified as Gnanavel, a resident of Sengundram village near Gudiyatham, who was engaged in agriculture and finance-related business. Chennai Vision reported that he was a PMK functionary. His friend Raghu sustained injuries in the firing and is undergoing treatment; Chennai Vision reported that Raghu, 40, a hotel chef and fellow PMK functionary, suffered a bullet injury to his right hand.

According to police, Gnanavel and Raghu were standing near the Sengundram bus stand and talking when the accused, Poovarasan, a resident of the same area, allegedly arrived with a concealed country-made firearm and opened fire at around 6 pm. Chennai Vision reported that residents initially mistook the gunshots for Deepavali firecrackers. Gnanavel sustained bullet injuries to his chest and head, according to ANI, and both men were rushed to the Gudiyatham Government Hospital, where doctors declared Gnanavel dead on arrival. His body was later shifted to the Government Vellore Medical College Hospital for post-mortem examination.

Police said Poovarasan allegedly had a previous dispute with Gnanavel and that more than 10 criminal cases, including murder, robbery and chain-snatching cases, are pending against him. All of these remain allegations at this stage. Gudiyatham Taluk Police registered a case and, after an intensive search, arrested Poovarasan near Sengundram.

During interrogation, police took the accused to a hilly area in Sengundram to recover the country-made firearm and ammunition allegedly used in the killing. Police said Poovarasan allegedly attacked Sub-Inspector Raja and attempted to escape from custody, and that personnel opened fire to stop him, hitting him in the right leg. Sub-Inspector Raja sustained an injury to his left hand. Both Poovarasan and the injured sub-inspector were admitted to the Gudiyatham Government Hospital, where they are undergoing treatment.

Relatives of Gnanavel gathered in large numbers at the hospital after the murder, creating a tense situation in and around Gudiyatham, and additional police personnel were deployed to maintain security, ANI reported. The investigation is continuing.