A quarry owner in Karur, who was abducted by a gang demanding ₹ 1 crore as ransom, was murdered and the body was found in a lorry in Thalaivasal here on Tuesday night.
Saminathan (63) of Chinna Goundan Valasu in Kangayam in Tiruppur district along with Sellamuthu (40) was running a quarry at Koonampatti village in Karur. On December 6, Saminathan stayed at the quarry. Next day, when quarry manager Moorthy called Saminathan over phone, he did not reply. Moorthy went to the quarry at 3 a.m. and found Saminathan and a lorry missing.
Meanwhile, Saminathan’s brother-in-law Murugesan in Erode received an audio message from Saminathan in which he said that he was abducted and wanted the money for his release. On information, the Thennilai police in Karur traced the mobile number to a village in Salem district.
On Tuesday evening, the police found a tipper truck near the Government Rehabilitation Home at Deviyakurichi in Salem district. During inquiry, two men escaped from the truck and the police chased and nabbed them. They were identified as Vijay (25) and Naveen (21), both from Karur and were working at the quarry. Preliminary inquiries revealed that a gang abducted him and after the police were informed about the abduction, they murdered Saminathan.
The body was dumped in the lorry and the police retrieved it. The two were arrested and inquiry is on to identify the gang members.
