Youth dies after being stabbed by gang for refusing to hand over mobile phone near Coimbatore airport

COIMBATORE: A youth died after being stabbed by a gang of robbers near the Coimbatore airport at around 11.30 pm on Thursday for refusing to give them his mobile phone.

The deceased was identified as Vignesh (24), a native of Theni district. Coimbatore police have formed four special teams to trace the murderers.

Police said that a four-member gang had waylaid the youth and asked him to hand over his mobile phone. "When the youth refused, they stabbed him on his neck before fleeing the spot. He died without responding to the treatment at a private hospital," police said.

It is learnt that Vignesh was a supervisor in a private firm on Kalapatti road in Coimbatore and was staying in a rented house at Poonga Nagar near the airport with his friend T Sujit (30) from Valparai. Sujit is a tractor driver with a private airline company. 

"On Thursday night, the two of them were heading towards Ondipudur to meet a friend. When they were near SIHS Colony, the gang waylaid them and asked them to hand over their mobile phones at knife-point. While Sujit, who was riding pillion, handed over his mobile phone, Vignesh refused. Angered by this, one of the gang members stabbed Vignesh on his neck while Sujit managed to escape from the spot," police said.

When Sujit returned to the spot with a few friends, they found Vignesh fighting for his life. They took him to a private hospital on a motorcycle. However, Vignesh died without responding to treatment. 

An initial investigation by the police revealed that the gang had also waylaid another person, one Kailash of SIHS Colony, while he was going home by car via Poonga Nagar near the airport. However, he managed to escape and alerted the police control room about the incident. "Vignesh was attacked soon after this incident. We have formed four special teams to nab the murderers," added a senior police officer.