Three persons surrendered before a judicial magistrate court here on Friday in connection with the daylight murder of a history-sheeter, N. Sakthivel, near Sholavandan on Thursday.
Police identified the surrendered persons as Ramesh Babu, Sukumar and Alex Pandian. All the three were accused in the November 2020 murder of one of the associates of Sakthivel, ‘Attack’ T. Prakash. Both the murders of Prakash and Sakthivel are said to have been executed in revenge for the murder of one G. Manikandan of Bibikulam in June 2020.
According to police, Manikandan’s relative G. Sarathkumar was working as a driver in the house of an AIADMK functionary, J.D. Vijayan, and eloped with his daughter, leading to Vijayan developing enmity towards Manikandan.
He had been frequently threatening Manikandan with dire consequences. Subsequently, Manikandan was murdered under Chekkanoorani police station limits. Sakthivel, Prakash and Vijayan were arraigned as accused in the murder case.
In reprisal for Manikandan’s murder, Prakash was hacked to death in Tirumangalam.
Meanwhile, Sakthivel was arrested in connection with the beheading of one Stephan in Dindigul district and was released on bail only on Thursday.
The police said Sakthivel was picked up from outside Madurai Central Prison by two unidentified persons on a motorbike.
When the bike was going near Karuppukoil on Sholavandan Road, a car hit the two-wheeler. A few men, who had come in the car, attacked Sakthivel with lethal weapons and he died after sustaining multiple cut and stab injuries.
A police source said Sakthivel murdered Manikandan for “ruining the life of his uncle’s (Vijayan’s) daughter”. “Fearing that Sakthivel could target the accused in Prakash murder case too, they could have murdered him,” the source said.
The car used for the murder is said to have been found abandoned near Aruppukottai. The police are on the lookout for those who picked up Sakthivel on the bike. The bike was also missing from the scene, the police said.
