Accused of involvement in the suspicious death of a youth, Rio Paralympics high jump gold medallist T. Mariyappan expressed apprehensions that attempts were being made by vested interests to implicate him for extortion of money.
“Some people who are unable to digest my popularity are bent on tarnishing my image,” he told the media at his residence in Kaadayampatti village on Monday.
Railway Police sources said that Satishkumar (18) of Periyavadugampatti village, a daily wage earner, was returning home in a two-wheeler on Saturday evening when his vehicle skidded and fell on the new car of Mariyappan parked on the narrow roadside.
The rear door of the car reportedly suffered a minor damage.
Enraged by this, Mariyappan and two of his friends reportedly picked up a quarrel with Satishkumar seeking money for setting right the damage.
Later, the trio went to the residence of Sathishkumar and allegedly abused him and his mother. They left after taking away his mobile phone.
Satishkumar, on late Saturday evening, left home informing his family members that he will try to convince Mariyappan and get back the mobile phone.
Since Satishkumar did not return home till late in the night, his family members started looking out for him in the nearby places.
Meanwhile, Jothimani, the elder brother of Satishkumar, on Sunday afternoon, spotted Satishkumar’s body with injuries along the railway track and took it home without informing the police.