TN police nab couple accused in 10-year-old murder case

TUTICORIN: A

couple

, who murdered a 21-year-old woman in

Tuticorin

district of Tamil Nadu 10 years ago and failed to appear for court trials, were nabbed on Wednesday.

Isakkimuthu, 45, and his wife Pechithai, 40, were nabbed from Nathampatti village in Virudhunagar district by a special team consisting of sub-inspector Isakkiraja and constables Frederick Raja, Kasi, Manikandan and Ragu.

Tuticorin district superintendent of

police

(SP) S Jayakumar said the victim, S Sahayalurdu of Saveriyarpuram village, worked at a shop in the locality and fell in love with Isakkidurai, 20.

“As there was resistance to their marriage the girl eloped with him. They went to the house of his father’s younger brother, Isakkimuthu, at Paraikuttam near Maniyachi,” he said.

The SP added that only on reaching there Sahayalurdu came to know that her lover had already been married and she picked up a quarrel with him.

“The girl, while leaving her house, took nearly 40 sovereigns of gold jewellery. In a bid to take the jewellery from her, Isakkimuthu, Pechithai and Isakkidurai strangled her and buried the body,” he said.

The girl’s family lodged a missing complaint with the Thattarmadam police on May 22, 2010.

The police investigated the case and recovered the body nine days later.

The three accused were arrested. However, they were released on bail.

A chargesheet was filed against the accused in December the same year.

While Isakkidurai appeared before the court, Isakkimuthu and Pechithai did not appear despite repeated summons.

This affected the course of the trial before the sessions court in Tuticorin.

Though the court issued a non-bailable warrant the couple could not be traced since then.

The special team traced a mobile number used by the couple through Isakkidurai and it led to the arrest of the couple. They were working in Virudhunagar district.

A probe is on to find out if they were involved in any other cases.

Jayakumar said that they were trying to nab the accused in at least 10 cases. “The oldest is a case dating back to 2006. Special teams are working on those cases,” he added.