A five-member gang attempted to murder three people at Vellakinar near Thudiyalur here over a land dispute on Saturday. Following the incident, the rural police arrested two people.
The injured people were identified as B Vijay, 23, from Veerappan Chathiram in Erode, R Shankar, 36, and M Malleswaran, 32, both hailing from Moolanur in Erode district. Vijay sustained two stab injuries on his left shoulder. Shankar fractured his right leg and left arm. Malleswaran fractured his left leg and injured on both shoulders.
Police said in 2002 a woman named Kasammal made an agreement to sell her 1.64 acres of land located near MR Thottam at Vellakinar to realtor R Prakash, 30, from Vellakinar in Thudiyalur for the amount of Rs 5 lakh. Prakash had paid Rs 80,000 as advance to Kasammal. Later, Prakash asked her to register the land in his name. But she demanded Rs 9 lakh for the land. Meanwhile she sold her property to M Palanisamy, 65, of Perundurai in Erode district without Prakash's knowledge. In this regard a civil case was pending before the judicial magistrate court -IV.
Palanisamy along with 10 people came to the land for cleaning work. However, Prakash picked up a quarrel with Palanisamy who later asked his workers to leave the land. Palanisamy and the workers were returning to Erode in a van when the vehicle was waylaid by Prakash and his accomplices A Karunakaran, 44, from Ramani Nagar at Chinnavedapatti, P Gowtham, 20, from Kendaiyur near Mettupalayam and two others. They started to assault them with knives and wooden logs.
Based on Palanisamy's complaint, the Thudiyalur police registered a case against five accused under Sections 147 (punishment for rioting), 148 (rioting armed with deadly weapon), 341 (punishment for wrongful restraint) and 307 (attempt to murder) of the Indian Penal Code. Police arrested Karunakaran and Gowtham, a college student. Police formed a special team to arrest Prakash and two others.