PUDUKOTTAI : The Principal District Judge of Pudukottai on Friday sentenced a 21-year-old man to life imprisonment for brutally murdering a Special Sub Inspector (SSI) of Police in 2021, when he caught him along with two school students for stealing goats in the vicinity.

The victim, S.Bhoominathan (56), attached to Navalpattu police station in neighbouring Tiruchirapalli district, while on night patrol in the wee hours of November 21, 2021 noticed a gang stealing a goat under the police limits.

As the SSI attempted to nab them, the gang fled the area on a motorcycle and attempted to escape to Pudukottai.

However, Bhoominathan chased the gang on his motorcycle and caught them at Pallathupatti village on the Tiruchirapalli-Pudukottai national highway.

The goat thief P.Manikandan, in a bid to escape attacked the SSI with a machete leaving him in a pool of blood and escaped along with his two juvenile associates, aged 9 and 14 from the spot.

The SSI died on the spot.

A special police team constituted to probe the murder, arrested the prime accused Manikandan and the two other juvenile offenders within 24 hours of the crime that triggered shock waves across the State.

Chief Minister M.K.Stalin condoled the murder of the SSI and announced Rs one crore solatium and a government job to the bereaved family.

When the case came for final hearing, the Principal District Judge K.Poorana Jeya Anand held Manikandan guilty of murder and awarded life sentence to him. The Judge also slapped a fine of Rs 25,000 on him.

The trial of two other juvenile delinquents in the case was pending before the juvenile court.