4 killed after van hits on motorcycle

CHENNAI: A group of four friends died in a freak road accident on New Year’s day after a van allegedly driven by a drunken man near Thirukazhukundram in  Kan­cheepuram district collided with the two-wheelers on Sunday.Police said Sundaraj (28), a labourer from Natham village, near Kalpakkam, Bhupathy alias Kamalakannan (30), a teashop owner also from Natham village had gone on a two-wheeler along with two other friends Krishnamurthy (40), a farmer and Meganathan (30), a painter- both from Nallur village in another two-wheeler.They had gone to Anupuram town near Kalpakkam and was returning after shopping when a van driven by 20year-old Prakash of Kuzhipanthandalam near Thirukazhukundram approaching from the opposite side, lost control of the van and collided with the two two-wheelers, police said. All the four died on the spot on Koot road between Narasingapuram and Nallur, police said. The van driver was allegedly drunk and was later arrested.Couple Robbed of 13 Soveriegn GoldA couple was robbed off 13 sovereigns of gold at knifepoint at Ambattur Estate on on Saturday. Police said Dileep Kunjumon (56) of Ambattur was on his way to a church for prayer along with his wife Mary Vinonika (52) when a gang of four persons robbed the gold from them at knifepoint. Ambattur Estate police have registered a case. Two Drown in MarinaIn two separate incidents, an engineering student and a mason, who were visiting the city on New Year, drowned in the sea off the Marina Beach on Sunday evening. Sources said the victim Arun Sukumaran (19), a native of Kerala, was studying in an engineering college in Erode. He had come to the city to celebrate New Year and was taking a dip in the sea when he was washed away. Similarly, Kumar (26), a mason and resident of Sholingur in Vellore, was also swept away. The bodies are yet to be recovered. Body Found with Neck InjuryPolice on Sunday found a body with injuries on the neck in Triplicane. The victim was identified as T Sampath Kumar (27) of Harbour Quarters in Tondiarpet. Around 12.30 am, locals informed the police that a body was lying on Wallajah Road. Anna Square Traffic Police Inspector Devechandran recovered the body, which had an injury on the neck, and sent it to Government General Hospital for autopsy. Search of the body yielded a cell phone and helped in identifying the victim. The police said the cause of death is yet to be ascertained.