Chennai, Mar 16 (IANS): A special team of Dindigul police shot dead a notorious gangster, Neeravi Murugan on Wednesday in an encounter in Tirunelveli district of Tamil Nadu.

Tirunelveli district police superintendent P. Saravanan in a statement on Wednesday said that the Dindigul police team cornered Murugan in a robbery-related case at Kalakad in Tirunelveli.

Murugan attacked the police and Sub Inspector of the Dindigul police team. In response the police fired one round at him which killed the notorious gangster on the spot.

Police said that four cops received injuries in heads and faces after they were attacked with a billhook by Murugan and Sub Inspector Isakki Raja had to fire in self-defence.

Superintendent of Police of Tirunelveli district, Saravanan said that Murugan had attacked police earlier also and was a notorious criminal involved in robberies, quotation attacks as well as encroachment of properties.

Kalakkad police registered a case and further investigation is on.

Murugan's body is sent for postmortem at the Tirunelveli Government Medical College hospital.

Murugan had more than 60 criminal cases including murder against him in various districts of Tamil Nadu and a video of him forcing a school teacher to part with her gold ornaments went viral after being recorded by a passerby.