Chennai:
A man allegedly shot his father-in-law dead in Tamil Nadu’s Tirupattur district following a heated argument over child custody, police said. The accused, who had been living separately from his wife amid ongoing divorce proceedings, is currently missing and a search is underway.
The incident took place near Ambur in Tirupattur district. According to the police, tensions had been brewing between the accused and his estranged wife over the custody of their children.
A senior police officer told NDTV that the couple has two children – a son and a daughter – and the dispute centred around the custody of the boy. “The man wanted custody of the little boy, but the mother had refused,” the officer said.
Based on preliminary findings, the accused is believed to have first engaged in a verbal altercation with his father-in-law Ravi before briefly leaving the scene. He then allegedly returned armed with a country-made gun and fired at the victim, who was seated outside his house.
Locals rushed the injured man to the Ambur Government Hospital, but he died during treatment. Police have sent the body for post-mortem examination.
A case has been registered by the Umerabad police, and special teams have been formed to trace the accused and recover the weapon used in the crime.
The killing has triggered tension in the locality, with police stepping up vigil as the search for the suspect continues.
