Chennai: A journalist in Tamil Nadu’s Kancheepuram district was hacked to death on Sunday, allegedly by a gang of drug dealers, who suspected that he had alerted the authorities about them, said the police sources. His family initially thought the attackers were his friends.

The accused are part of a gang involved in alleged sale of encroached land and selling drugs around a local lake. “Moses had not telecast any news report on this issue,” said the official sources. The father of the victim, Gnanaraj, has alleged the district police did not take any action on his son’s complaint that his life was in danger.

Senior journalist, Bharathi Tamizhan, has slammed the police over the allegation. “We did not receive any such information from him. This murder is purely due to personal vengeance and land issue,” said D Shanmuga priya, the district police chief. This murder for news highlights the shameful lack of security for journalists in Tamil Nadu,” she said in a statement.