Kin protest after man hacks small-time trader to death in Tuticorin

MADURAI: A 27-year-old man was arrested by the Kalugumalai police in Kovilpatti on Thursday for murdering a small-time trader from Tenkasi district for warning the former to end the relationship with a married woman.
The victim has been identified as A Alagurajan (40), a small trader from Alangulam village in Tenkasi district. On Thursday, as usual for his business, when Alagurajan was returning to Alangulam from Kalugumalai in Kovilpatti, he was murdered by a man with a sickle. Kalugumalai police who reached the spot sent the body for autopsy to Kovilpatti Government Hospital.
Later, a man identified as P Mahendran (27) confessed and surrendered to the police that he had murdered Alagurajan “out of anger” for being against his relationship with a married woman from Alangulam. During the investigation, it came to light that Alagurajan and Mahendran had had an argument in the same regard a few days ago and had to be calmed by passers-by. The police said that they also checking CCTV footage near the crime scene.
Meanwhile, angry kin of Alagurajan held a road roko at Kalugumalai Sanakarankovil Main Road demanding strict action against the accused. Despite talks with Tuticorin SP, Arun Balagopalan, Kovipatti DSP M Jebaraj and other officials, the protestors did not disperse. They also stopped Tenkasi district collector GK Arun Sundar Dhayalan and gave a plea. Only after the collector’s assurance, they gave up their protest. Traffic was affected in the area for a few hours.