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Armed with a licensed .25 mm German pistol and an airgun, Vijayakar threatened to shoot himself, even as police attempted to negotiate with him. A woman was also with him, first believed to be a hostage, but later turned out to be his friend. Photo: M. Vedhan. Photo: M_VEDHAN

All through the day, Vijayakar threatened to pull the trigger on the onlookers and, in his relatively sober moments, spouted messages on a range of issues, including nature conservation, terrorism and IPL betting. In a friendly overture, he threw down chocolates and biscuits at the waiting crowd. Photo: K. Pichumani

The police got his relatives and a friend to talk him into stepping out of the house. When they tried to do so, Vijayakar waved the pistol at them, forcing them to retreat. The officers on the scene kept a constant vigil on his actions. Photo: M. Vedhan. Photo: M_VEDHAN

Curious onlookers and members of the media waited outside the apartment complex throughout the day. Traffic on Taylors Road was jammed due to the huge crowd the drama attracted. Photo: M. Vedhan

The stand-off ended nearly 11 hours later when around 9 p.m., Vijayakar put on an overcoat and stepped out with his friend. Photo: R. Ravindran

When they tried to flee in his car that was parked inside the apartment complex, angry and impatient onlookers pounced on him and gave him a sound thrashing. Photo: R. Ravindran

The police resorted to mild lathicharge to disperse the crowd. In the melee that followed, a few lensmen, including R. Ravindran of The Hindu, were injured. Photo: R. Ravindran Photo: R_RAVINDRAN