A 50-year-old headload worker was shot dead by a landowner at Gobichettipalayam on Friday midnight, police said.

Vijay (26), an engineering graduate, was travelling with his father Kannan, 50, a headload worker, and his brother Murthy on a moped, according to police.

They were on their way to a hospital for Kannan's treatment when the moped ran out of fuel near Nagarpalayam, about a kilometer from Gobichettipalayam. Vijay left his father and brother to refuel the moped at a nearby outlet, police said.

Upon returning, he found both had vanished and immediately called Murthy, who returned to the location, police added.

At around 12.15 am, Murthy arrived, and the brothers began searching for their father. They found Kannan standing on private land owned by Janakiraman, where Mohanlal, the owner's son, was also present. As they approached there, Mohanlal shot Kannan twice with a gun, police said quoting Vijay.

Kannan collapsed and died due to gunshot wounds in his chest and stomach, police added.

Gobichettipalayam police arrived, found Kannan's body with an aruval (sickle) in his hand, and detained Mohanlal, who was holding the weapon.

On Saturday morning, Kannan's relatives staged a roadblock near Modachur weekly market, demanding Mohanlal's arrest. Police are interrogating Mohanlal at the Gobichettipalayam station and probing the motive behind the murder.

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)