5 get life term for murder of constable during sand raid in Tirunelveli

According to the prosecution, 33-year-old S Jegatheesdurai, attached to the Vijayanarayanam police station in Tirunelveli district, was killed near Kakkan Nagar on the night of May 6, 2018.

After receiving a tip-off, the constable volunteered to launch a crackdown on the illegal sand mining, which was being carried out by a gang. He managed to nab some of the culprits after chasing them down. However, a few others part of the gang hit Jegatheesdurai on his head with an iron rod and left him dead. In the wake of the incident, Vijayanarayanam police filed a case under Section 302 (murder) of the Indian Penal Code. While five of the six accused men were arrested, the other person A Amithabachan surrendered before a local court. The five were identified as M Murugan, U Krishnan, V Murugaperumal of Thamaraikulam, T Manikumar and M Rajaravi of Kalmanickapuram.

After hearing the case, Tirunelveli Fourth Additional Sessions Judge Gladson Blessed Tagore on Tuesday awarded life sentence to all the accused. The judge also levied a fine of Rs 10,000 each on Murugan and Krishnan and Rs 1,000 each on Manikumar and Rajaravi, sources said.

Tirunelveli Superintendent of Police P Arun Sakthikumar lauded the efforts of the investigation team, which put the accused behind the bar. He further said patrolling has been intensified to keep a check on instances of illegal sand mining.