COIMBATORE: Five more persons were arrested by police on Wednesday for the assault of a 24-year-old youth with ADHD to death by the staff of a rehabilitation home in Pollachi near Coimbatore.

Varunkanth was admitted to Yuthira Charitable Trust (Special Children Care and Training Centre) in Pollachi for rehabilitation by his parents on February 4 this year.

On May 15, the youth’s father, Ravi Kumar, was informed that Varunkanth had gone missing while on a trip to Aliyar Dam. However, inquiries by police revealed that the youth was beaten to death by caretakers on May 12, as he behaved aggressively.

They then buried his body on a piece of farmland near Nadupuni. His body was exhumed on May 24, and a post-mortem examination was conducted.

Police then arrested six staff members of the home, identified as Giriram, Nithish, Ranganayaki, Senthil Babu, Sathish, and Sheela.

Special teams were formed to nab five others, who went absconding, and a look-out notice was issued in airports to prevent them from escaping abroad.

The police traced the accused, hiding in Tiruvananthapuram in Kerala, and picked them up on Wednesday. Police nabbed Kavitha (53), her husband Lakshmanan (54), and daughters Sruthi (23), Shreya (20), and Shaji (27), all holding various positions in the centre. They were booked on different counts, including murder, elimination of evidence, and attack with weapons. Police also seized cars and a load carrier vehicle used to transport the body of the youth.

The accused were subjected to a medical examination at Pollachi Government Hospital and produced before the judicial magistrate court in Pollachi to be lodged in Coimbatore Central Prison.