MADURAI: An armed gang hacked an NTK functionary to death in Madurai when he was out for a morning walk on Tuesday. While the police claimed the murder was a fallout of a personal dispute and that the accused were arrested, that it happened just a stone’s throw away from Minister PTR Palanivel Thiaga Rajan’s residence raised more questions about the law and order scenario in the State.
Madurai City Police Commissioner J Loganathan said C Balamurugan (50) of Sellur was a history sheeter who was murdered over a marital dispute involving his niece.
Officials said preliminary inquiry revealed that the murder happened over a dispute between one Mahalingam and his brother’s son-in-law Pandiyarajan over sharing properties. Later, Pandiyarajan married off his daughter Priya to Mahalingam’s son Alaguvijay. But she later filed a divorce petition.
In March, a quarrel erupted when Pandiyarajan asked Mahalingam to give his daughter’s share of property, and the latter and his kin were arrested based on Pandiyarajan’s complaint.
Meanwhile, Priya contacted Alaguvijay over the phone to alert him that her father Pandiyarajan, and uncle Balamurugan were planning to attack Mahalingam. Furious over this, Alaguvijay and associates, including Bharath, Naga Irulvel, Gokulakannan and Penni, murdered Balamurugan. All of them were arrested, officials said.