COIMBATORE: Three separate murder incidents reported from Krishnagiri, Salem and Namakkal districts on Monday have sent shockwaves across western Tamil Nadu, with police intensifying investigations into the brutal crimes.
In Krishnagiri district, the charred bodies of two unidentified men, both believed to be around 30 years old, were found along the Krishnagiri–Rayakottai Road on Monday morning.
Police said one body was discovered near Veppalampatti, while the second was found around 500 metres away at Kodukoor. Initial probe suggests the victims were murdered elsewhere before their bodies were transported to the isolated stretch and set on fire.
“The bodies had been wrapped in bedsheets and covered with coconut leaves before being set ablaze. Nearly 80% of the bodies were burnt,” police said.
Passersby alerted the Krishnagiri Taluk Police, who rushed to the scene and launched an investigation. Salem Range Deputy Inspector General of Police Santhosh Hadimani and Krishnagiri Superintendent of Police P Thangadurai visited the crime scene and supervised the inquiry. The remains were later sent to the Krishnagiri GH for a post-mortem.
Police have begun collecting details of missing persons reported in neighbouring districts, including Dharmapuri and Tirupathur, in an effort to identify the victims. Investigators suspect the crime may have taken place during the early hours of the morning and are analysing CCTV footage of vehicles that went through the route.
In another shocking incident, Salem police arrested three minor boys for allegedly murdering their 19-year-old friend following a drunken quarrel and filming the attack on a mobile phone.
The victim, S Gokul, a daily wage worker from Maniyanur in Thathakapatti near Salem, was allegedly taken by the three boys, all school dropouts aged around 16, to a secluded area near a pond in Kattuvalavu locality for consuming liquor.
As an argument broke out, the trio attacked Gokul with knives and also videographed the murder with their mobile phone. After the attack, the boys fled on a two-wheeler but lost control of the vehicle in an intoxicated state and collided with another motorcycle. Members of the public who gathered at the spot reportedly became suspicious and checked one of the boys’ mobile phones, where they found the video of the murder before informing the Mallur police.
Police later recovered Gokul’s body and sent it to the Salem GH for a post-mortem. The three minors, including one native of Bihar, were detained and questioned.
Initial probe revealed that the accused were allegedly upset with Gokul for informing their family members about their misconduct, which police believe may have triggered the murder.
Meanwhile, in Namakkal district, police have launched a search for V Jagadeesan (26) for murdering his relative, P Rajendran (35), a realtor from Namagiripettai, by deliberately running over him with a car.
Police said Rajendran was walking along a road in Namagiripettai when Jagadeesan rammed his car into him and fled the scene, abandoning the vehicle.