Headless body was of man mistakenly killed by gang: Cops

Madurai: The Avaniyapuram police have arrested two people in connection with the murder of a middle-aged man, whose beheaded body was found on Saturday morning. Police also recovered the head two days after the incident.

The victim has been identified as Thirunavukkarasu from a village near Pattukottai in Thanjavur district. He had been wandering in the streets after running away from his house. Police said that Thirunavukkarasu was mistaken by a gang to be an associate of a former history-sheeter. They thought him as a potential threat and murdered him in a cold-blooded manner. A team led by the Avaniyapuram police inspector G Pethuraj, which cracked the case, arrested two people identified as Muthupandi, 24, and Sivakumar, 24, from Thanthai Periyar Nagar in Avaniyapuram and are searching for two more people - Ranjith and Senthil.

A police officer said that there was a dispute between Sivakumar and Pipe Kumar, a former history-sheeter. Kumar has been staying away from criminal activities and is working as a guide, since he is well-versed with multiple languages. On Friday night, Thirunavukkarasu approached Kumar to buy him food. After buying him food, Kumar left the place after assuring to provide him a job the next day.

Meanwhile, Thirunavukkarasu, who was loitering around in the area was stopped by Sivakumar and his gang, while consuming alcohol. When they inquired with him, he mentioned Kumar’s name. Mistaking him to be his accomplice, they took him to a secluded area and murdered him. The accused buried the head some 500m away from the spot and left.

A police officer said that Sivakumar was arrested from a hideout in Alagarkovil hills. When the police reached there, he tried to escape. He fractured his leg while jumping from a rock. He has been admitted to the Government Rajaji Hospital for treatment. TNN