Three people have been picked up for the brutal murder of ganja peddler Senthilpandi, 48, near T. Andipatti on Saturday.
According to the Melur police, assailants, a rival gang, had crushed the head of Senthilpandi.
Police said A. Udhayakumar alias Udhaya, another ganja seller, made an attempt on Senthilpandi’s life in 2013, suspecting that he had tipped-off Madurai district police about his activities.
Though Senthilpandi then survived the attack, the rivalry, so far, claimed six lives.
When Udhaya hatched a conspiracy to target Senthilpandi’s brother and launched a sudden attack with bombs and lethal arms, he was ambushed by Senthilpandi’s men and it resulted in the death of two persons, one each from both sides, including Udhaya, in 2014.
Since, then Udhaya’s associates, Load Murugan and Sonai had been targeting the brothers.
By then, Senthilpandi had shifted his operations from Vandiyur to his native village, Tiruvathavur.
The gang bumped off Senthilpandi’s uncle Meganathan, 52, at Sourashtrapuram in May 2016.
In July 2016, they managed to kill Senthilmurugan, at Tiruvathavur in 2016. In between, two more lives of the gangsters, Mayakannan and Balamurugan, were also lost.
Another attempt
Senthilpandi was fortunate enough to escape one more attempt on his life in 2018. But, the rivals never gave up their determination to take his life.
“Even two months back, their hostility was revealed when a special team of police from Sivaganga district that seized 25 kg of ganja in Tiruppuvanam,” a police officer said.
Few associates of Load Murugan, including his wife Kaleeswari, were booked in the case. “During interrogation, they had confessed that they were raising money by selling drugs only to kill Senthilpandi,” he added.
Though Load Murugan was still in jail, the police suspect that he had used his contacts among criminals in jail to finish off Senthilpandi.
Senthilpandi, who was a functionary of Desiya Mupokku Dravida Kazhagam, had undergone kidney transplantation.