Madurai witnessed six murders in 48 hours since Tuesday evening, many of which could be partly attributed to drunken brawls during Deepavali celebration, police sources said.
P. Marimuthu (33), an autorickshaw driver, was hacked to death in the early hours of Thursday by a gang near Periyar bus stand in Thideer Nagar police limits, allegedly owing to a quarrel over bursting of crackers. Police said they were yet to arrest the killers of Marimuthu, who reportedly had multiple cases against him.
P. Balamurugan (23) of Ammankovilpatti near Keezhavalavu was murdered on Wednesday night when he intervened in a quarrel that broke out between his brother P. Bharath Kumar (25) and a group of men while taking bath in a water tank in the village. The gang stabbed Balamurugan with a bottle. Bharath Kumar also sustained minor injuries. The Keelavazhavu police have booked V. Rajapandi and three others for the murder.
Similarly, M. Chelladurai (27) from Mullipallam, who worked as a loadman, was hacked to death on Wednesday afternoon by a gang that was allegedly frustrated over his refusal to engage them for work.
The Kadupatti police have booked K. Sivakumar and five others from Mullipallam for the murder.
V. Manikandan (39) from Keezhanaachikulam was murdered on Wednesday night by a gang allegedly over a quarrel that broke out during Deepavali celebration. The Sholavandan police are investigating.
P. Kathiresan (28), a history-sheeter in Tallakulam police station limits and a resident of K. Pudur, was murdered on Tuesday evening by a gang over previous enmity.
The K. Pudur police, who have booked at least four persons for the murder, said the gang had persuaded him to come near Manmalai Medu where they hacked him to death.
A. Sekar, a 17-year-old Dalit boy residing in Ellis Nagar, was abducted and murdered by a caste Hindu family in Vaikom Periyar Nagar in Silaiman police limits on Wednesday, allegedly over previous enmity with the boy’s family.
Police booth attacked
A police booth on K. K. Nagar-Sivaganga Road junction was attacked with stones by some unidentified persons in the early hours of Wednesday, in which glass panes were damaged at the booth.
Although the police were yet to identify the accused, sources said they suspected it to be the work of some men under the influence of alcohol.
A senior official said that the CCTVs installed at the roadjunction had been removed and moved to the Sivaganga Road and Airport Road-Ring Road junction, when the city police limits were expanded.
