Trichy city police have apprehended seven individuals in connection with two separate murder cases, involving the deaths of a 45-year-old painter and a differently abled man.
Painter murdered by colleagues
In the first incident, painter C Benjamin was beaten to death by his colleagues in Mudaliar Chatram on Monday following a verbal altercation. The accused have been identified as Alex Arockiyaraj, 58, from Khajapettai, and Mariya Prathab, 43, from Palakkarai. According to police, Benjamin and his uncle Albert alias Anthonysamy, 80, along with Alex and Prathab, consumed liquor at Mudaliyar Chathiram on Sunday. It is alleged that Anthonysamy, in an inebriated state, took 2,000 rupees from Alex's shirt pocket. On Monday, Alex and Prathab confronted Benjamin and Anthonysamy regarding the stolen money. A heated argument ensued, during which Alex and Prathab assaulted Benjamin and pushed him to the ground. Benjamin lost consciousness and was admitted to Mahatma Gandhi Memorial Government Hospital for intensive care, where he succumbed to his injuries the same day. Palakkarai police arrested Alex and Prathab, who were subsequently remanded in judicial custody.
Differently abled man killed near Thiruvanaikoil
In another case, five individuals, including two minor boys, were arrested for the murder of a differently abled man near Thiruvanaikoil in March. Police sources revealed that the deceased, identified as Kumar, was begging in front of the Srirangam temple. On March 24, Kumar allegedly abused some minor boys in a secluded area near Thiruvanaikoil. R Rajkumar, 23, C Sriram, 21, and A Sridhar, 20, witnessed the incident. They confronted Kumar, assaulted him, and demanded money. The trio then attacked Kumar with a large stone, causing severe injuries that led to his death on the spot. To conceal the crime, the accused, along with three minor boys aged between 15 and 17 years, burned the body and buried the remains near a brick kiln.
Based on a missing complaint filed by Kumar's parents on April 17, Srirangam police registered a case. The police recovered Kumar's mortal remains on May 4. On Monday, Srirangam police arrested five accused. The two minors were sent to a juvenile home in Thanjavur, while the other three accused were remanded in custody. One minor remains missing.
