In a shocking crime that has rattled the Salem district, a young man was arrested for murdering his lover and disposing of her body in a deep gorge in the Yercaud hills. The arrest came after a chilling clue—the victim's sacred thaali (mangalsutra) mailed to her estranged husband.
The Fatal Argument and Murder
The incident traces back to December 23 in the Yercaud garden area, where G Venkatesh (22) was meeting Sumathi (25). According to police, an argument erupted between the two. The confrontation escalated when Sumathi received a phone call. "When Venkatesh asked her who it was, she did not give him a proper answer. This angered him," a police official stated. In a fit of rage, Venkatesh allegedly strangled Sumathi to death using her own dupatta.
Body Disposal and Macabre Courier
After committing the crime, Venkatesh executed a cold-blooded plan to conceal his actions. He placed Sumathi's body in a bag, transported it on his two-wheeler to the Yercaud-Kuppanur ghat road, and threw it into a 300-foot-deep gorge. In a bizarre and cruel twist, he then sent Sumathi's thaali through a courier service to her husband, Shanmugam. The couple had been separated for two years, and Shanmugam, a truck driver, had been caring for their two children.
Investigation and Arrest
Upon receiving the parcel, a distressed Shanmugam tried in vain to locate Sumathi. His unsuccessful search led him to file a formal complaint with the Yercaud police on December 25. The courier clue became pivotal. Police swiftly questioned Venkatesh, which led to his arrest on Monday. With assistance from forest officials and firemen, the police retrieved Sumathi's body from the treacherous gorge. The body was sent for postmortem to the Salem Government Mohan Kumaramangalam Medical College and Hospital.
The case highlights a gruesome crime of passion, where a moment of jealousy led to a horrific murder and a calculated attempt to shift focus, which ultimately failed and led to the perpetrator's capture.
