The police have arrested seven persons for allegedly kidnapping and murdering a 22-year-old daily wage worker at Kottakuppam on the East Coast Road on Monday evening.
The police gave the names of the arrested as Arun Kumar, 22, Dinesh alias Praveen Kumar, 23, Ranjith Kumar, 25, Prakash, 40, of Kottakuppam Colony, and Santhosh, 19, Balaji, 21, and Sanjay, 20, of Samipillaithottam in Puducherry.
S. Raghavan of Periya Kottakuppam was riding his bike along with his friend Sivanesan on the Kottakuppam bypass when the accused waylaid and kidnapped him. They later took Raghavan to a farm land behind a local temple at Kottakuppam and allegedly murdered him.
The police said Raghavan was in love with a woman hailing from the same area. The woman’s family opposed their relationship following which she reportedly committed suicide in her house on February 22.
The woman’s uncle planned to eliminate Raghavan and he convinced the victim’s friend Sanjay to bring him to Kottakuppam. When Raghavan arrived with his friend Sivanesan, the gang led by Prakash kidnapped him after assaulting Sivanesan, the police said.
They took Raghavan to a secluded spot behind a temple and allegedly hacked him to death. They later allegedly doused the body with petrol and burnt it, the police said. The accused were produced before a local court and remanded in judicial custody.
