The killers took the heads in sacks and kicked them around before dumping them on either side of the entrance of a hospital

Dalit brothers Kumar alias Ambulance Kumar, 40, and Rajesh, 30, of Annamalai Nagar here were hacked to death by a gang while they were asleep at home on Monday night.

The killers also beheaded them, took the heads in sacks and kicked them around before dumping them on either side of the entrance of the Rajah Muthiah Medical College Hospital.

When they were chased by some persons, they lobbed crude bombs at the house and at a hotel located in front of the hospital, injuring six of the relatives of the deceased and damaging a car and a van owned by Kumar, who was running an ambulance service and hiring out freezers for mortal remains.

The injured were Muthamizhan, 21, of Pappireddipatti in Dharmapuri, a final- year agriculture student of Annamalai University; Vincent Paulraj, 22, an engineering student; Soundar, 27, of Arakkonam; Pandian, 27, of Cuddalore; Mani, 19, driver of Kumar; and Prabhakaran, 20, a third-year engineering student of Sankarapuram in Villupuram district.

All of them are undergoing treatment at the Rajah Muthiah Medical College Hospital. The condition of Pandian was said to be serious.

Pattabhi, Sivamani, Gajendran and Pathayiram have been detained for interrogation.

The police also detected two unexploded devices on the scene and defused them.

Superintendent of Police A. Radhika rushed to the spot with a contingent of police and arranged for taking the torsos and the heads to the Chidambaram government hospital for post-mortem.

Meanwhile, the family members, friends and relatives of the victims gathered in front of the hospital and refused to take the bodies for funeral rites unless the attackers were brought to book.