Man, bro get life in Tamil Nadu triple murder case

VILLUPURAM: Eight years after a casual conversation in a television reality show led to the unearthing of a triple murder, the Villupuram mahila court sentenced two brothers who had committed the murders to life imprisonment.
In 2008, the two brothers — carpenter E Murugan, 45, and truck driver Mathiarasan, 37 — first murdered a young couple, Lavanya, aged 16 then, and her husband Silambarasan, aged 20 then, and later murdered the girl’s father Sekar who came in search for her. All the three victims lay buried near a dilapidated well near the culprits’ house.
In 2012, however, Murugan’s daughter Bhargavi participated in a television reality show saying she had eloped with her boyfriend K Sathish Kumar and that they feared for their lives. It was when the host pointed out that she was only 17 years old and that she should return to her parental home, that Bhargavi revealed that her father would murder her. She remarked that her mother once told her that her father Murugan had murdered three people and buried them in their backyard.
This episode telecast on May 28, 2012, prompted Sekar’s wife to Jeeva to rush to police on May 31, and revive her four-year-old complaint that her husband Sekar and daughter Lavanya were missing. Police registered a case against four people — Murugan, his brother Mathiarasan, wife Rajeswari and an employee Murthi — on June 1, 2012.
They also dug up the bodies buried near the backyard of Murugan’s house. The case was tried before the Villupuram fast track Mahila court.
On Thursday, judge G Santhi found Murugan guilty of murder and sentenced him to serve three life imprisonments, concurrently, besides a fine of Rs 95,000. His brother Mathiarasan was convicted for one murder and sentenced to undergo imprisonment for life besides paying Rs 35,000 as fine. While Murugan’s wife was acquitted of all charges, employee Murthi had died during the pendency of the case.
The worst part is all the victims and the offenders were known to each other. Murugan was running a furniture unit at Nallampillaipetral village near Gingee in Villupuram district, and he ran the business with his friend Sekar, whose daughter Lavanya was also working in the unit.
The teenager eloped with Silambarasan and married him. When she returned to Kuchipalayam village and sought Murugan’s help, he did oblige and accommodate the couple. According to the prosecution, however, he strangled the young couple and buried them near the hut. After a week, when Sekar came searching for his daughter, Murugan murdered him as well with the help of his brother Mathiarasan, and buried him, too.
Jeeva’s complaint to police about her missing husband Sekar and daughter Lavanya remained uncracked, till Bhargavi’s television show blew the lid off the mystery.