Chennai, Oct 11 (PTI): 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 here, police said on Monday.

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Murthasa (25), hailing from Jharkhand, snatched a six-sovereign gold chain from the 55-year-old woman waiting to board a bus near a toll plaza at Sriperumbudur on Sunday and fled along with his accomplice Naim Akthar, said the police.

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The woman raised an alarm and members of public pursued the fleeing duo when Murthasa whipped out a gun and opened fire, said the police. None was injured, they said.

Following the incident, Kancheepuram district superintendent formed teams to trace and nab 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. JSP

(The above story is verified and authored by Press Trust of India (PTI) staff. PTI, India’s premier news agency, employs more than 400 journalists and 500 stringers to cover almost every district and small town in India.. The views appearing in the above post do not reflect the opinions of LatestLY)