Udhagamandalam: A security guard at late Chief Minister Jayalalithaa’s Kodanadu estate near Udhagamandalam was hacked to death, reportedly by a 10-member gang in the early hours of today.

The body of Om Bahadur (50) was noticed by estate workers in the morning. Another security guard, Kishan Bahadur was found lying in a pool of blood with serious injuries.

Police, who rushed to the sport, suspect the motive could be to steal valuables or documents, as one door of the bungalow was found broke open. Resistance by the guards might have led to the attack, police said.

According to a senior police official, the reason will be known only after proper investigation, as police are interrogating the estate manager and staff and also the injured guard, who has been admitted to the Kothagiri Government Hospital. The CCTV footage along the route is being taken as part of investigation, he added.

DIG Deepak N Tomar and Superintendent of Police Murali Ramba visited the spot and sniffer dog and finger print experts pressed into service.

Quoting villagers and Kishan, police said a 10-member gang in two vehicles was seen entering the area in the early hours.

Besides alerting all the check posts connecting Karnataka and Kerala, five special police teams have been formed and fanned across the State to nab the culprits. Adequate number of police have been deployed at the estate and also at the Government Hospital in Kothagiri.

The body of Om Bahadur was handed over to his relatives after post mortem, late evening. police said.