In a pre-dawn ‘chance encounter’ with the patrol police at Padunelli checkpoint on Kancheepuram-Arakkonam highway, a wanted criminal, Natarajan (27) , was bumped off.

Kanchi taluk inspector Sampath, who sustained injuries on his right leg in a petrol bomb attack, told Express from his hospital bed, “I had to shoot him to kill, or else I would have been finished.” DSP K. Rajendran said the Padunelli check point was sensitive and strategic for smuggling and the non-functioning point was recently made operational following orders from SP Prem Anand Sinha.

Sampat’s version was that he along with sub-inspector Gokulraj and constables Palani, Ramesh and Subramani was doing a routine check, when Natrajan sped past in a motorbike without stopping at the check point. However, Sampath gave a hot chase in his jeep and caught the criminal.

The history sheeter hurled a petrol bomb at the police party after lighting it by a cigar lighter. After hurling one more bomb, he swished out a sickle and advanced towards the inspector. “At this point, I fired four rounds from my pistol, but I am still recovering from the shock,” the inspector said. Sampat had taken over as the Kanchi Taluk inspector just a month ago, and it was his first encounter that resulted in a killing.

DIG M Ramasubramani cautioned that the police act should not be misconstrued as a ‘police encounter’ in the sense it was normally understood, but “it just happened,” a point that was instantly endorsed by Tiruvallur SP V Vanitha, who was officiating in the absence of Kanchi SP Sinha. Ramasubramani said Natarajan hailed from Illuppappattu in Nagappattinam district, and he had served twoand- a-half years’ imprisonment in a murder case. There were four murder cases, (three registered at Mayiladurai and one at Manalmedu), five attempt to murder cases and one under the Narcotics Act filed against him.

Meanwhile, Bamavathi (58), mother of the deceased and Gopinath (30), Natarajan’s elder brother, put the entire blame for the ‘brutal murder’ on Kancheepuram police, and their lawyer initially refused to accept the body saying, “Unless the encounter cop and his associates were booked under Section 302, and a copy of the FIR served to the family”, the body would not be received by the family.

Even Revenue Divisional Officer Palani’s assurance that a videotape of the post-mortem of Natarajan would be provided to the family could not pacify them.

Natarajan’s father Subbarayan (62), sister Vanaja (26) and brother Gopinath alleged that he was a victim of a premeditated murder by the police.

SP Sinha, who cut short his leave and returned to Kancheepuram in the evening, said that Natrajan’s family was to be blamed for the entire episode as they used to bail him out after each of his criminal activity.
What happened was destined to happen and the policemen just acted in selfdefence,