A young man from Tiruvottiyur was brutally murdered and his body partially burnt beneath a flyover under construction in Kadappa district in Andhra Pradesh on June 29.
Police said he was killed by a gang hired by his former employer in the aftermath of a personal feud.
Sources with the Tiruvottiyur police said the victim Pusparaj alias Vikki (27) of BKN Colony in Kaladipet, was reported missing from June 28. Police began a probe after his father lodged a complaint.
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Investigations revealed that Pusparaj used to work for one Sadasivam (57), who runs a unit in Tiruvottiyur that makes roofs for godowns and bus shelters.
The youth was allegedly in a relationship with his co-worker Sujatha (36), much to ire of his employer. Sadasivam dismissed him from work but Pusparaj continued to meet Sujatha outside.
With the aim of warning the youth, Sadasivam approached his friend Esther Rani (37) who in turn contacted Vimal (40) and Babu (35), who runs a TASMAC bar in Ennore.
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After Sadasivam gave them an advance of Rs. 2 lakh, the duo and their four accomplices kidnapped Pusparaj in an MUV from near the Toll Gate bus stop on June 28.
“The gang drove Pusparaj to a spot in Kadappa district only to threaten him and let him off. But Sadasivam offered an additional Rs. 5 lakh to murder the youth and the men killed him the next day and abandoned the body after setting it ablaze,” said C. Sridhar, Joint Commissioner of Police, North.
The Kadappa district police had registered a case of murder and buried the body a few days after the incident, having declaring it as unidentified.
After obtaining information from Sadasivam and Esther Rani following interrogations, a Tiruvottiyur police team contacted their Kadappa counterparts and with the help of photographs, ascertained that the body was that of Pusparaj.
Tiruvottiyur police arrested ten persons including Sadasivam, Esther Rani, her mother Shanti, Sujatha, Vimal, Babu and their four aides on Monday.