Two held for armed attack on tourists on Salem-Kochi Highway near Coimbatore

The Coimbatore District (Rural) Police have arrested two persons in connection with the armed attack on tourists from Malaysia at Navakkarai on Salem–Kochi Highway on September 2, in which two persons suffered injuries.The arrested have been identified as S. Akash from Manamadurai in Sivaganga district and R. Viswa from Melapuliyur in Perambalur district. The police are on the lookout for at least five more persons involved in the attack.A senior police officer privy to the investigation said that a Tamilian working in Malaysia had personal issues with one of the tourists, and he assigned the Sivaganga-based gang to attack him during the tour.The gang intercepted the van of the tourists when they reached near a fuel station at Navakkarai, en route to Chennai from Kerala, around 5.30 p.m. on September 2. They attacked the glass windows of the van with weapons and two tourists, Loganathan (52) and his son Ugendran (21), suffered injuries.The driver of the van responded quickly and sped away. However, the gang followed them till Madukkarai Market. The driver halted the van after two members of the gang, who tailed the vehicle on a two-wheeler, flashed an object resembling a firearm. The assailants escaped after the public gathered around the van.“More details regarding the motive of the attack would be known after arresting key persons involved,” said the officer. The officer added that the police have received information on the other assailants and efforts were underway to arrest them. Published - September 06, 2026 08:23 pm IST