When Vinodh and Ramachandran were hacked to death near Mela Mangalakurichi under Srivaikundam police station limits on November 24, 2018, the police would not have dreamt that one of the accused in this double murder case would kill a constable.
After one of these two victims developed an illicit affair with the wife of a person, belonging to another community from Mela Mangalakurichi, he hired Duraimuthu and his associates to murder Vinodh and Ramachandran. In retaliation, Duraimuthu’s younger brother Kannan was murdered in 2019.
When Duraimuthu and his associates unleashed an attack at Pettai near Tirunelveli, Ganesa Pandian, an accused in the case pertaining to the murder of Kannan, was hacked to death. The police, after arresting Duraimuthu and a few others, recovered three machetes and two country-bombs from a hideout at nearby Sanganaankulam.
After coming out on bail, Duraimuthu skipped bail conditions and an arrest warrant was issued. Even as the police were searching for him, he participated in the betrothal of his sister at Mela Mangalakurichi recently.
Superintendent of Police S. Jayakumar deployed a special team in which Subramanian was included. After closely following Duraimuthu by tracking his mobile phone signal, the police found on Tuesday that he was hiding near Manakkarai.
“Since a close relative of Duraimuthu is an anti-poaching watcher in Vallanaadu area, where Forest Department has the Blackbuck Sanctuary, he, along with his associates, could stay in the small room in the secluded place. As the room belongs to the Department of Forest, he might have believed that the police would not raid the building,” a police officer said.
“We believe that the anti-poaching watchers there have allowed the thugs to use the room even after fully knowing their plans. We recovered a carom board, a few country-bombs and batteries from this room. Three anti-poaching watchers are being grilled,” the police officer said.
The police admitted that illicit sand mining carried out by the sand mafia in Srivaikundam area with a help of a senior officer, now transferred, for the past couple of years had undermined the law and order situation in the sub-division. The association of Duraimuthu with a few policemen and the forest personnel is being probed following the murder of Subramanian.
One Ammamuthu, a cousin of Duraimuthu, is an accused in the murder of Alwarkurichi Police Sub-Inspector Vetrivel that took place on January 7, 2010 in a case of mistaken identity. The assailants were waiting to murder another Police Sub-Inspector following a domestic problem.
