TENKASI: A day after the charred body of a woman was found in a banana plantation near Surandai in Tenkasi district, police on Friday cracked the murder case and arrested her husband, brother-in-law and mother-in-law.

The victim, identified as Kuttimari (35) of Kadayanallur, was allegedly strangled by her brotherin-law after allegedly objecting to her affair out of wedlock. The three allegedly took her body on a motorcycle and set it on fire to conceal the crime.

The body was discovered on Thursday by a worker who had gone to irrigate a banana plantation owned by Sundar, along the road connecting Kadayanallur and Sundarapandiapuram. The worker alerted the plantation owner, who informed the Surandai police.

Initially unable to identify the victim, police formed three special teams under the leadership of Alangulam Deputy Superintendent of Police Gladson Jose. The teams examined missing-person complaints and CCTV footage from Surandai, Sundarapandiapuram and neighbouring areas.

The investigation established that the deceased was Kuttimari of Indira Nagar in Melakadayanallur. She worked at a petrol bunk in Kadayanallur, while her husband, Murugan, brotherin-law, Ravi, and mother-in-law, Sivakami, sold clothes door-todoor and stayed at a lodge in Surandai for their business.

According to police, Kuttimari had allegedly been in an affair with a man from her locality for a long time. Her husband had reportedly objected to the relationship and asked her to end it. Ravi was also aware of the matter.

Police said Kuttimari went to the Surandai lodge from Kadayanallur around 7 pm on Wednesday. An argument reportedly broke out between her and Ravi, during which he allegedly strangled her with a piece of cloth.