The body of a young man, who went missing after he left his house on January 15, was exhumed from a secluded place near Paalkattalai under Thatchanallur police station limits on Thursday.
In connection with this murder, the police have picked up eight persons including friends of the deceased for interrogation.
The victim S. Masanamurthy, 27, an earthmover operator from Karaiyiruppu, who was working in the VOC Port in Thoothukudi, went missing after he had gone to a nearby farm on January 15. When he failed to return home in the night, his wife Krishnaveni and father Sudalaimuthu searched for him but in vain. Mr. Sudalaimuthu filed a complaint the next day. When there was a delay in tracing him, Ms. Krishnaveni submitted a petition to Collector Shilpa Prabhakar Satish seeking her intervention.
Even as the investigation was going on, the police received information that Masanamurthy was murdered and buried in a secluded place near Paalkattalai, also under Thatchanallur police station limits. When the police visited a spot, they could see a heap of thorny bush kept on a newly closed pit and suspected that the body could have been buried there.
The police grilled Masanamurthy’s friend who reportedly told them that they had consumed liquor at Vaeppankulam to celebrate Pongal and he left the spot after Masanamurthy became senseless due to excessive consumption of alcohol.
Meanwhile, relatives of Masanamurthy blocked the Tirunelveli – Madurai Highway on Wednesday evening. After the police and revenue officials pacified them, the agitation was withdrawn.
Meanwhile, a pit was dug on Thursday in the presence of Assistant Commissioner of Police, Tirunelveli, Sathish Kumar, and Tahsildar, Tirunelveli, Rajeshwari, The suspicion of the police came true that Masanamurthy’s body was buried there. Even as the waiting family members and relatives were wailing, the body with deep cut injury on the neck was exhumed around noon. As the body was decomposed, an on-the-spot autopsy was conducted before being handed over to the family. The police also recovered the bike of the victim from a well at Vaeppankulam.
