3 juveniles among 4 held for murder of youth in Tirunelveli

MADURAI: A 20-year-old youth identified as Arumugam of Sebasthiyar Kovil Street was murdered by an armed gang in Tirunelveli on Monday evening.

However, the incident came to light late Monday night, and the Tirunelveli Town police went in search of the victim’s body after the control centre at the office of Tirunelveli City police received a phone call saying that a person was beaten to death and buried near Gurunathan temple.

As per the directive of the Commissioner of Police, Tirunelveli City, Santosh Hadimani, a special team was formed to nab the accused. The team began taking details behind the phone call and those reportedly missing to crack the case.

Investigations revealed that Arumugam, a construction worker, who went along with his friends on Monday evening, did not return home. The team then managed to trace the phone-caller identified as S Sudalai alias Siva (20) and interrogated him.

The police inquiry found that Arumugam maintained a relationship with a minor girl, a relative of one of the accused, a juvenile, in the case. Despite warning him to give up the relationship with the girl, Arumugam continued to do so.

The juvenile then conspired to murder Arumugam after taking issue with his friend Siva. The gang made Arumugam drink alcohol after taking him out to a remote locality, and when the victim began losing his consciousness, they murdered him with a deadly weapon. Subsequently, the gang buried the body to evade police, sources said.

The Commissioner of Police said four persons, including Siva and three juveniles, were arrested in the case. Later, the body was exhumed. After inquiring, the Commissioner said the victim had a sexual relationship with the girl.