Yet another revenge murder took place in the city on Friday. This time, a 21-year-old youth, S. Nagapandi, was killed by a four-member gang at Jawaharpuram near DRO Colony. Three youths — G. Jeyapal of Tallakulam, P. Kathiresan of Jawaharpuram and R. Balamurugan of Athikulam — all in their early 20s, reportedly surrendered at the Tallakulam police station within a few minutes after murdering Nagapandi behind the mosque at Jawaharpuram.
A 19-year-old boy, reportedly involved in the incident, was absconding. The police said the murder was in retaliation to the killing of J. Wilson of Tallakulam in the small hours of January 9. Nagapandi was then cited as second accused in the murder. Nagapandi shifted his house from Tallakulam to Anaiyur following the murder. The gang had noticed Nagapandi when he came to work at Jawaharpuram. Jeyapal and his friends waited for an opportune time to waylay him with lethal weapons. After chasing him for a few metres, they started attacking him. His head was partly smashed with a grinder stone. The police found the body lying in a ditch behind the mosque.
Police sources said that a few days back two groups had clashed at Tallakulam. “The city police failed to take notice of the incident. Intelligence agencies had recently alerted about a reprisal on Wilson’s murder. Even Wilson’s murder was still under investigation and the chargesheet yet to be filed, the police said.
The city has witnessed three revenge murders in the past one year.
In May 2013, a youth, V. Rupesh Kumar, was murdered by an armed gang in a case of mistaken identity as a revenge for a 2006-murder.
A ruling party man, I. Mayil Murugan, was hacked to death in September 2013, within two days of murder of one ‘Pambu’ Pandi in a group war. A youth, Muthuvijayan, was killed by an armed gang near Teppakulam in December 2013 after hurling petrol bombs on a car that was being escorted by the police from the court to Anuppanadi.
