DMK councillor among 10 held in encroachment litigant's murder

CHENGALPATTU: Two days after the murder of a man, who moved the Madras High Court seeking removal of encroachments in Thirukazhukundram, in broad daylight, the police arrested a 10-member gang, including a DMK woman councillor on Monday.

The accused have been identified as Thirukazhukundram DMK councillor Daulath Biwi (55), her son Faruq (31), Ibrahi (31), Mansoor Ali Khan (31), Mohammed Ajeez (21), Abdul Khadar (27), Rahamathullah (20), Salim Basha (41), Rashid Hussain (22), and Rahman (28).

Sarbuddin, the 38-year-old victim and a resident of Mosque Street, owned a shop in the same area and was also a real estate agent.

Recently, Sarbuddin filed a case in the Madras High Court claiming that a few miscreants, who encroached a parcel of land around the mosque, had built shops and sought an order to remove the structures.

He had to seek legal action as repeated complaints to the revenue department regarding the encroachment failed to evoke any action. The court ruled in his favour and ordered for the encroachments to be cleared at the earliest.

“It is said that he had a long-running enmity with the accused Daulath Biwi and her sons. As Sarbuddin received death threats, he approached the police seeking protection for his life,” police said.

On Saturday when the victim was proceeding in his car towards Kalpakkam to close a real estate deal, a five-member armed gang that came in bikes intercepted his car and hacked him with sickles in broad daylight. The entire crime was captured in CCTV cameras nearby.

Since Sarbuddin died on the spot, a special police team was formed to apprehend the killers. The team launched a search in the region to nab the gang.

Subsequently on Monday, a 10-member gang, including the DMK woman councillor, was arrested and remanded to judicial custody.

It may be noted that among the accused, Mohammed Ajeez and Ibrahim had already been to prison in December 2022 in for attempting to murder a BJP party member in a ganja peddling case.