Tirunelveli: Lawyer killed days after wife's death; in-laws suspected

TIRUNELVELI: A 35-year-old lawyer was chased and hacked to death near Kalakkad in Tirunelveli district on Tuesday, allegedly by his in-laws who blamed him for his wife’s recent suicide, police said.

The victim, Pooludaiyar alias Pandi, a native of Kadamboduvalvu village, was practising at the Tirunelveli court and living in Palayamkottai with his wife Rajalakshmi. He was at his house near a temple in his native village when a three-member gang, including his brother-in-law Raja from Sivarammangalam, arrived in a car and attacked him with sickles before fleeing.

Police led by Nanguneri DSP Dharsika Natarajan and Kalakkad Inspector Kannan rushed to the spot, recovered the body and sent it to the Tirunelveli Government Medical College Hospital for post-mortem.

Preliminary inquiry revealed that Rajalakshmi had died by suicide on May 3 following a family dispute, and her funeral was held on Monday. Her relatives allegedly suspected Pooludaiyar of being responsible for her death, prompting the revenge killing.

Police said the couple had been married for two years and had no children. A case has been registered and a search is on for the accused.

The murder has triggered tension in the village, with police deployment intensified. The incident comes close on the heels of another murder reported in Kalakkad’s JJ Nagar on May 2, heightening fear among residents.