Brothers murdered, buried for confronting inebriated gang in Thoothukudi
Investigating the matter, the officials unearthed the bodies of two brothers, who were murdered and buried after one of them chided a gang for creating a nuisance in their neighbourhood;
Pandian and Arulraj (Maalaimalar)
MADURAI: A group of villagers in Thermal Nagar in Thoothukudi, who went to chase off a pack of stray dogs fighting among themselves, were in for a shock after finding that the dogs were squabbling for a human hand. Investigating the matter, the officials unearthed the bodies of two brothers, who were murdered and buried after one of them chided a gang for creating a nuisance in their neighbourhood.
According to Maalaimalar, Chinnathurai of Koilpillai Nagar near Thermal Nagar has three sons, Pandian (36), Arulraj (30), and Velmurugan, and three daughters. Among the sons, Pandian and Arulraj were daily wage workers.
On July 28, Arulraj went missing, which made the family worried. Though Pandian was also not to be seen, it did not trigger any suspicion because he often left home for several days at a stretch. After failing to find Arulraj, his elder brother Velmurugan filed a complaint at the Thermal Nagar police station.
On Thursday, a group of residents noticed stray dogs fighting near a canal bund. On closer inspection, they saw a hand sticking out of the ground and immediately alerted the police.
Inspectors Soba Jency and Jayanthi, tahsildar Muralidharan, and village administrative officer Premalatha rushed to the spot. But by then it was night, forcing the officials to postpone the exhumation till the next morning.
On Friday morning, the police began digging the place where the hand was found and were shocked to find that there was not one but two bodies. Further investigation confirmed the victims were Arulraj and his elder brother Pandian.
Initial inquiries revealed that on July 26, Arulraj had confronted a group of intoxicated men from the neighbourhood who were creating a nuisance near his house, which led to a heated argument. Later that night, the gang reportedly barged into Arulraj’s home, kidnapped him, and took him to the canal area, where they assaulted and killed him. Pandian, who rushed to his brother’s aid after hearing the commotion, was also attacked and murdered, said the police, adding that the assailants buried both bodies at the scene itself.
So far, three suspects have been detained, and a detailed investigation is under way, officials said.