Chennai: A Tamil Nadu police team, which had left Chennai by a State Government owned aircraft to hunt two key accused wanted in the killing of Kancheepuram temple official Sankararaman, returned to the city past mid-night last night empty handed.

The police officials, led by Kancheepuram SP K Premkumar, had set out to nab Appu, who is alleged to have organised the killing, and a building contractor Ravi Subramaniam, late on Thursday (Dec 2, 2004) and returned after reportedly failing to nab the elusive duo.

Police were tight-lipped about the whole affair. The seven-member team had left here late on Thursday and headed first to Hyderabad from where they flew to Delhi. The officials returned here after a brief halt at Hyderabad, Airport sources said. Later, the policemen left for Kancheepuram.

Kanchi Seer Jayendra Saraswathi has been arrested as one of the prime accused in the Sept 3, 2004 murder of Sankararaman.