A Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK) member was kidnapped from Ammapettai and murdered by a gang which dumped the body along the roadside in neighbouring Tiruvarur district in the early hours on Friday.
The Ammapettai police have named six persons, including two DMK functionaries, as accused in the murder of K. Mani alias Manikandan (40), a painter. Intra-party rivalry and money transaction are suspected to be the cause behind the kidnap and murder.
Police sources said there were two factions in the DMK’s Ammapettai unit with Mani owing allegiance to one of them. The sources said Mani reportedly obtained money from Thiyaga Ramesh (48), DMK Ammapettai town panchayat vice president, and the latter is said to have asked the former to return the money leading to enmity.
In this scenario, a gang which came in a mini-goods carrier kidnapped Mani from Ammapettai in the vehicle in the late hours on Thursday when he was standing in front of a temple with his brother K. Kesavan.
The body of Mani with multiple stab wounds was found along roadside in the limits of Needamangalam police station in neighbouring Tiruvarur district in the early hours on Friday. The body was later sent for a post-mortem to the Government Hospital in Papanasam.
The Ammapettai police later detained Thiyaga Ramesh (48) and G. Veeramani (40) – another DMK functionary in connection with the murder. A case has been booked under various IPC sections including 302 (murder) 364 (kidnap).
Pickets were posted in Ammapettai town as a security measure to avert any untoward incidents consequent to the murder.
Police suspect inter-party rivalry and dispute over money transaction
The gang arrived in a light commercial vehicle and kidnapped him
