TRICHY: The prime suspect in the bomb attack on a police team that was escorting history-sheeter S Kalimuthu near Perambalur on Saturday was shot dead in a police encounter in a forested area on Tuesday morning. The deceased, C Azhagu Raja alias ‘Kottai’ Raja, was believed to have masterminded the attack which caused injuries to two policemen.Following the attack on the police team, five special teams were set up to track the suspects, including Azhagu Raja, who had a longstanding feud with Kalimuthu alias ‘Vellai’ Kali. The teams conducted searches across districts and eventually located Azhagu Raja in Ooty, where he was apprehended and taken to Perambalur.According to police, on Monday night they took Azhagu Raja to a forested area near Thirumandurai to recover weapons he had allegedly hidden. Central zone inspector general V Balakrishnan said Raja initially misled officers to a few locations before leading them to the actual spot where the weapons were concealed. As Raja was digging up the weapons, he suddenly got hold of a country-made bomb and hurled it at a police vehicle.“Sub-inspector Sankar from Kunnam police station tried to apprehend him, but the suspect hacked the officer with a weapon and attempted to flee. Inspector Nandhakumar from Mangalamedu station then fired a single round at Raja’s head in self-defence,” Balakrishnan said.Police said they rushed Raja to Perambalur GH, but doctors declared him dead on arrival. An autopsy was scheduled at the hospital. SI Sankar received treatment for injuries to the hand and was admitted to the hospital.Saturday’s attack on Kalimuthu, wanted in cases including murder, robbery and ganja possession in various districts, happened when he was being escorted from the Dindigul sub-jail to Puzhal Central Prison in Chennai for court proceedings. An armed gang which came in two vehicles hurled six country-made bombs at the history-sheeter and the policemen as they stopped for lunch at a hotel near Thirumandurai Toll Plaza on the Trichy-Chennai National Highway. The policemen opened fire from their service rifles, forcing the gang to flee after abandoning a vehicle. Constables S Vineshkumar and K Maruthapandi who suffered injuries were taken to Perambalur GH for treatment. Later, Vineshkumar was shifted to a private hospital in Trichy and then to another private facility in Coimbatore where he has undergone multiple surgeries.
