A 38-year-old Bharatiya Janata Party member was murdered by two persons at the busy Gandhi Market area on Monday morning.
The victim F. Vijay Raghu of Pensioners Lane in Varaganeri area, was the party’s Palakkarai zonal vice president. He worked in a cycle stand, issuing tokens. He was attacked by the duo with sharp weapons causing grievous injuries. The culprits fled the spot after committing the crime.
Mr. Raghu was rushed to Mahatma Gandhi Government Hospital and died while undergoing treatment a couple of hours later, police said. Gandhi Market police are on the look out for ‘Mittai’ Babu and his associate Vijay Sankar, in connection with the murder. Police looked at the closed circuit television footage to establish the identity of the culprits.
According to police, Vijay Raghu’s daughter and ‘Mittai’ Babu were said to have been in love with each other. ‘Mittai’ Babu had some cases pending against him, including one for allegedly assaulting Vijay Raghu’s brother-in-law earlier, and had come out from the prison only a few days ago. Police said Vijay Raghu apparently did not approve of the love affair. ‘Mittai’ Babu reportedly felt that Vijay Raghu was a stumbling block in the affair.
A few hours after the murder, a group of BJP functionaries staged a protest in front of the Mahatma Gandhi Government Hospital demanding the arrest of the accused involved in the killing.
Special teams have been formed to apprehend ‘Mittai’ Babu and his accomplice, Vijay Sankar who are on the run.
A team has left for Tiruvarur and another to Perambalur in search of the duo, Commissioner of Police V. Varadharaju told The Hindu. Gandhi Market police are investigating.
