Temple guards murder key accused shot in leg, arrested in Virudhunagar

MADURAI: In a development in the case connected to the murder of guards employed in Nachadai Thavirtharuliya Nathar temple in Devadanam near Rajapalayam in Virudhunagar, one of the accused was arrested after police opened fire on him in self-defence on Wednesday.

The temple guards, Pechimuthu alias Muthu (54) and Sankarapandian (69), were murdered on Monday night, when the arrested accused Nagaraj (25) and his accomplice broke open the temple door, stole money from the hundial and silver and fled the scene.

The temple, which is under the supervision of the HR&CE Department, is one of the oldest in Virudhunagar, dating back 600 years. Based on a complaint lodged by Murugan, the Executive Officer of the Temple, Seithur police registered a case.

As part of the ongoing investigation, the police took the accused Nagaraj to a remote area where he had reportedly hidden the stolen valuables and weapon used for murder. All of a sudden, Nagaraj attacked Sub Inspector of Police Kottaiyappasamy with a weapon and tried to escape. The SI sustained an injury to his left arm.

Subsequently, Nagaraj ran away trying to evade arrest. However, the police tried chasing him down, and Nagaraj attacked them again. Momentarily, one of the personnel opened fire at Nagaraj in self-defence. Nagaraj received a gunshot wound below his right knee and was moved to a hospital. The injured SI was also sent to the hospital.

Earlier, the police traced the whereabouts of Nagaraj and his accomplice Muniyasamy (40) after trawling through hours of CCTV footage and cell phone records, and arrested Nagaraj.

A manhunt has been launched to find Muniyasamy, who remains absconding. Further sources said Nagaraj was involved in cell phone theft and was out on conditional bail a few days ago for the same.