French national murdered at Auroville

A French industrialist Andre Viozat, settled in Auroville, was murdered outside his
farmhouse on the Puducherry-Tamil Nadu border, police said on Thursday.

A five-member gang, whose identity is yet to be established, waylaid and attacked the 66-year-old industrialist when he was returning home from his factory in the wee hours on Wednesday, police said.

He was residing alone at his farmhouse, they said adding the motive for the crime is yet to be ascertained. Andre Viozat lived in Puducherry for last 35 years and was operating the Auro Electronics and Auro Zone industrial units located in the Industrial estate at hattanchavady.

Auroville (city of dawn) was founded by the Sri Aurobindo Society in 1968 with an aim to establish a universal city where several foreign nationals could stay.