Stalin says crimes continue unabated in TN, cops suspect trio in Nellai murder

While DMK president and Leader of Opposition MK Stalin visited Tirunelveli on Wednesday to pay homage to the slain party’s former Mayor Uma Maheswari, police made a minor progress in the murder case by identifying three suspects, who were said to be north Indians.

Later, Stalin while talking to presspersons appealed to the state government to accord priority and nab the culprits at the earliest and inflict stringent punishment on the accused. Such incidents of crime continue to happen unabated in Tamil Nadu, Stalin added.

Tirunelveli City Commissioner of Police N Baskaran on Wednesday said that they suspect three persons of north Indian origin to be involved in the triple murder at the house of former mayor Uma Maheswari in Reddiarpatti in Tirunelveli.

In the wake of gruesome murder, which claimed lives of three, including former mayor of Tirunelveli Corporation Uma Maheswari, her husband Murugasankar (67) and maid servant Mari, the investigation team is combing through available CCTV footage, the Commissioner of police said.

CoP Baskaran said three persons were suspected to be involved in the crime. The footage showed the trio moving suspiciously and they seemed to be North Indians, but the images were not clear. The accused could have used iron rod and knives as corpses bore multiple stab injuries. Moreover, the Commissioner ruled out the possibility of it being a political or caste related murder.

But, other aspects were also being probed, he added.

Nearly, 21 sovereigns of gold were found missing from the almirah, he said.

Sources said fingerprints have been lifted from the scene of crime and were being examined. Importantly, the investigation team was tracking down the cell phone tower location to crack the case. The house had been locked and kept under police custody for investigation, sources said.

Stalin along with MLA Poongothai Aladi Aruna, former MLAs and cadre paid homage to Uma Maheswari, her husband Murugasankaran and maid servant Mari. He then consoled the bereaved family.

On the other hand, bewailing the loss of their mother Mari, the maid servant, her three daughters and grief-stricken relatives felt that the girls were left orphaned now.

The three daughters were studying in classes 8, 10 and 12. A relative of the maid servant said already the loss of her husband gripped her family and with all her painstaking efforts after labouring in houses, Mari managed to help her daughters pursue education. “But, now everything is gone,” he said. Therefore, he sought the help of the state government to provide financial support to the grief-stricken daughters to continue their education. 

Principal Opposition party DMK has condemned theruling AIADMK for being a mute spectator to neighbouring Andhra Pradesh raising 22 check dams’ height to 40ft high across Palar River.

It is disheartening that Chief Minister Edappadi K Palaniswami, who holds the public works and water resource portfolios was living in a dream world and not paying attention to Andhra Pradesh’s check dam construction, which could jeopardise the drinking water and irrigation needs of five districts in Tamil Nadu. Claiming that the DMK had consistently opposed construction of check dams in the past and height of check dams were raised from 12 ft and 20 ft across Palar Riverduring the interim AIADMK regime, he said.

The Leader of Opposition had attempted to draw the ruling dispensation’s attention to the agitation he had led on July 19, 2016 to prevent the check dam construction. Sensing the DMK’s plan to organise an agitation, the ruling AIADMK had moved the Supreme Court to obtain a stay against the proposed check dam construction, but the Chief Minister, who trumpets his legal victories repeatedly, has failed miserably in obtaining the interim injunction till now, the DMK president claimed. He also urged the Chief Minister to immediately take steps and obtain an interim stay to stop the check dam construction by Andhra Pradesh which would affect the irrigation and drinking water needs of five districts in Tamil Nadu, including Chennai.