MADURAI: A youth was brutally murdered near T Kallupatti in Madurai district over a love affair.

The deceased has been identified as M Alagendran (21) of Kovilangulam village, Aruppukottai taluk of Virudhunagar district, sources said.

The victim’s body was found near a kanmoi at Velambur with his head chopped off. Madurai SP BK Arvind and police personnel attached to V Chatrapatti station found the chopped head at a distance of about 100m away from where the torso was found.

Preliminary inquiries revealed that Alagendran had a love affair with a minor girl against the wishes of her relatives. Alagendran and the girl belonged to different sub-castes. It is alleged that Porali alias Prabhakaran (27) beheaded the victim with a machete.

Meanwhile, the victim’s relatives staged a dharna at Madurai Collectorate seeking fair probe. The aggrieved Mariammal, the mother of the victim, claimed that it was an honour killing. V Chatrapatti police filed a case.