VAO hacked to death inside office in Thoothukudi; probe on

MADURAI: In yet another case of sand mafia’s brutality, a 53-year-old village administrative officer (VAO) was hacked to death by an armed duo near Murappanadu in Thoothukudi district on Tuesday.

According to sources, two men armed with machetes suddenly barged into the office Y Lourde Francis, who was at work in Kovilpathu village, Srivaikuntam taluk around 12.30 pm and hacked him indiscriminately.

Francis suffered serious injuries to his head and also other parts of the body. Subsequently, the VAO, who was in a critical condition, was rushed to Tirunelveli Government Medical College Hospital, where he died with- out responding to the treatment. Preliminary en- quiries revealed that Ramasu- bbu, said to be a sand smuggler, was angry with VAO Francis as the latter had last week lodged a complaint against him with the Murappanadu police, who registered a case.

So, Ramasubbu along with his friend came to the VAO office and hacked him to death. Murappanadu police acted swiftly and arrested Ramasubbu. A hunt is on to nab his accomplice, sources said.

A native of Kaliyavoor village in Kerala, the VAO used to travel from the neighbouring state to his office every day, sources said.

He is survived by wife, two sons and a daughter.

Talking to reporters, the Collector said the VAO Francis was known for his honesty and sincerity, and his murder has come as a rude shock. Ahead of this incident, the VAO reported to a court while on duty and was about to appear in court for hearing in the afternoon. Francis worked as Kovilpathu VAO for one and a half years.

Prior to his assignment at Kovilpathu, he was serving at Adichanallur revenue village, where he confronted land mafia. There also his opponents attacked him during a drive to retrieve encroached lands. The lands were meant for setting up of a museum at Adichanallur. Later, the police detained one person under Goondas Act in connection with that incident. The district administration would act seriously on the murder of Francis and ensure that the accused were awarded maximum punishment, the Collector assured.

Thoothukudi Collector K Senthil Raj along with Superintendent of Police L Balaji Saravanan and Thoothukudi DSP Sathiyaraj inspected the spot and held enquiries.