Madurai: The suspicious death of an 18-year-old girl, initially believed to be a suicide by hanging at her home in Kayathar, Tuticorin district, has been revealed as a murder committed by her mother and brother over her alleged relationship with a man from Salem district. Police have arrested the mother and son, and have dismissed claims of a caste-related killing.
Victim Identified
The deceased has been identified as Abi Selvi, 18, a resident of South Mayilodai village. According to police sources, the Kayathar police were informed on June 9 that Selvi had allegedly died by suicide, hanging herself at her residence. Upon arrival, officers recovered the body and sent it to the Tirunelveli Government Medical College Hospital for a postmortem examination. A case was registered, and an investigation was initiated.
Postmortem Findings Raise Suspicion
During the investigation, preliminary postmortem results revealed injuries on Selvi's body, raising doubts about the initial suicide theory. Further probing uncovered that Selvi had become acquainted with a man from Salem through social media and was in a relationship with him.
Murder Confession
Police discovered that Selvi's brother, Sivagnanam, 20, and her mother, Esther Pauline, 36, had murdered her following a quarrel over her relationship. When interrogated, the duo confessed to the crime. Sivagnanam admitted to strangling Selvi, with Pauline acting as an accomplice. Based on their confession, police arrested the mother-son pair late Wednesday night. They have since been remanded in judicial custody.
No Caste Angle, Says Police
Senior police officials have refuted claims that the murder was a caste killing. In a statement, the Tuticorin district police asserted that there is no evidence to support a caste angle based on the investigation conducted so far. They described as false and unverified the information circulating on social media suggesting the murder was caste-related.
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