Coimbatore (TN), Feb 14 (PTI) Police opened fire on two accused involved in the murder of a youth, when they allegedly tried to escape from the police custody near Mettupalayam on Tuesday, a top district official said.

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Based on the mobile phone signal, a special police team managed to trace the accused to Kotagiri in nearby Nilgiris District and arrested them this afternoon, City Police Commissioner V Balakrishnan told reporters here.

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A five-member gang on Monday hacked Gokul to death near the District Court Complex here in full public view.

Gokul, along with his friend Manoj, came to attend a hearing in connection with a case against him.

As all the five accused were being brought to the city for investigation from Kotagiri, two of them -- Joshua and Gautham -- complained of vomiting sensation and wanted to answer nature's call.

After alighting from the car, both tried to escape and hid behind a roadside bush. When police chased them, they tried to attack with a hidden sickle, in which a constable sustained injuries on his hand.

A sub-inspector in the team fired on the duo as self protection and the accused suffered bullet injuries on their legs, Balakrishnan said.

Both of them were given first aid at Mettupalayam Government Hospital and later admitted to Coimbatore Medical College Hospital for further treatment, he added.

Based on their information, two more persons involved in the crime were also held, taking the total arrested to seven, he said.

When asked about the motive behind the murder, Balakrishnan said it will be known only after detailed interrogation.

The accused will be produced before the magistrate court and remanded, he said.

(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)