A woman, aged about 30 years, was found murdered near Vadipatti here on Saturday.
Madurai District police said the body bore multiple injuries and the hands were tied with a rope, with which the murderers had strangulated her.
There were marks around the victim’s neck.
Some residents of the locality found the body floating in a stream in the wee hours.
The police recovered the body, and registered a case of suspicious death.
A senior police officer said they were checking with other police stations whether any woman missing case was registered.
Detonators seized
Police arrested two persons – Shivakumar and his son Vetrivel, hailing from Katpadi – at Tiruvadhavur near Melur, and seized 72 gelatine sticks and 30 electric detonators from them.
The duo was carrying the explosive materials on a two-wheeler when the police intercepted them during a vehicle check near Melur on Saturday.
A thorough check by the police revealed that the two were transporting the detonators without any licence or valid documents.
The Q Branch police are also interrogating the two.
DMK man held
The City Police arrested Isakki Muthu, a Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam functionary, on charges of cheating and breach of trust among other criminal offences here on Saturday.
Police said a private photo studio owner, who has outlets in Goripalayam and Karimedu here, had paid Rs.7.5 lakh to Isakki Muthu in 2010 as the latter had allegedly promised to get a space allotted by the Madurai Corporation for him on a 25 year lease.
Since there was no sign of Isakki Muthu getting him a space from the Corporation for an outlet, the photo studio owner lodged a complaint with the police.
The K. Pudur police registered a case and arrested the DMK functionary.
According to the investigating officers, Isakki Muthu had returned only Rs.1 lakh.
He was produced before a magistrate court and remanded.
Isakki Muthu was a councillor representing the DMK in the Madurai Corporation.