Tea stall owner murdered by ganja gang at shop in Madurai

The deceased victim, identified as S Marimuthu (42), was inside the tea shop located at the intersection of the second street of Krishnapuram colony and the main road, when the incident happened, sources said.

Preliminary inquiries revealed that five people entered the shop around 5.50 am and murdered Marimuthu over previous enmity.

While the victim was stabbed on his neck by a knife, CCTV footage showed the gang entering the tea stall and a few of them picking up soft drink bottles kept there and hurling them at Marimuthu. The victim sustained injured on his head as a result, sources said. After committing such crime, the gang fled the scene.

The victim was also seen running after the attack, with his hand kept over his neck to stop bleeding. Marimuthu was, however, declared dead when he was taken to hospital, sources said.

According to sources, the gang who attacked Marimuthu used to spend time sitting near the latter’s tea stall and indulged in smoking ganja and eve teasing.

A few days before the fatal attack, Marimuthu had chided the gang for the inconvenience they caused with their presence and had them leave the spot. Irked by this, the gang comprising Vigneshpandi, Arunkumar, Prasath alias Muttaikan Prasath, Veerakarthik and Kaverimani warned the tea stall owner of dire consequences.

When the tensions between them became intense, the gang allegedly hatched a plot to murder Marimuthu. After keenly watching his movements, the tea stall owner was murdered on Saturday when he opened the shop around 5.30 am, sources said.

Based on a complaint lodged by the wife of the deceased victim, the Tallakulam police filed a case under Sections 147,148, 342, 452,427, 302 and 502 (ii) of the IPC.