Missing man’s body found buried near house in Ponneri

The deceased Vijay (20) was native of Vellore district while the accused Suresh Kauth (20) hails from Odisha. The duo worked at a steel company at Madhavaram near Ponneri and stayed together in rented premises.

Vijay’s mother Shanthi suddenly stopped getting calls from her son since December 15. After searching for him in the locality, she lodged a complaint at Ponneri police station. Police registered a case and officers had inquired Suresh Kauth then.

However, he told them that he was posted on day shift on the day Vijay went missing and that he did not know about his whereabouts. A few days later, Suresh Kauth quit his job and went back to his hometown.

The investigating officers suspected Kauth after Vijay’s phone, which remained switched off, was switched on. It was traced to Odisha. This led them to believe that Suresh Kauth could have information about Vijay, said police sources.

Meanwhile, Suresh Kauth recently returned to Chennai and joined a company in Ennore. Assuming police did not suspect him any longer, he switched on Vijay’s phone again. Police traced the phone to Ennore region and secured Suresh Kauth.

During interrogation, Suresh Kauth said that he beat Vijay to death with a stone following a drunken brawl. To hide the murder, he buried him behind the house they were staying in. Police then took him to the area to identify the spot where the body was buried. His skeletons were unearthed and sent for post-mortem examination. Suresh was booked for murder remanded in judicial custody. Police sources said Suresh stayed in Chennai for at least 20 days after the murder and vanished after drawing salary.