Man who warned sister’s stalker murdered; 6 held

Theni: A day after a 28-year-old labourer was murdered for questioning a school student who had been troubling his younger sister, police arrested six people, including two minors in this connection on Tuesday. The deceased was identified as Surya, a labourer from Erasakkanayakanur, a father of two. He recently warned a Class X boy of the local Govt Higher Secondary School who had been troubling his younger sister, studying in Class VIII.Enraged over this, the boy allegedly conspired with his brothers and several others to attack the man. Around 1.45 pm on Monday, a gang intercepted Surya at Aranmanai Street and hacked him to death with a sickle. Police sent the body of the deceased to Theni Govt Hospital for autopsy, and a case was registered by Chinnamanur police on a complaint from his father.On Tuesday, police arrested Dhanasekaran, 23, Sekar, 22, Dhanabal, 22, Sudharsan, 21, and two Class X boys of Pallikottaipatti. Two cases were pending against one of the minor's brothers, Dhanasekaran, and three cases, including a Pocso case, were pending against Dhanabal.Surya's relatives and local residents blocked the Muthulapuram bypass for three hours on Monday demanding swift arrest of the culprits. Police officials pacified them, and they dispersed on the assurance that the miscreants would be apprehended immediately.