TIRUNELVELI

In a predawn raid conducted in a house on the city outskirts, the police seized three air rifles and as many machetes and knives from the house of a murder case accused.

Sources in the police said a surprise check was conducted in the house of Ramachandran in Karaiyiruppu under Thatchanallur police station limits, who is an accused in the murder of DYFI (Democratic Youth Federation of India) functionary Ashok, following information that lethal weapons had been kept in his house.

During the raid conducted by the police team, led by Assistant Commissioner of Police, Tirunelveli, Satishkumar, 3 air-rifles, 3 machetes and 3 knives were seized.

Subsequently, the Thatchanallur police registered a case against Ramachandran and his sons Poolpandian and Kumar for having kept the arms in their house. Efforts are on to arrest them.

After Ashok, a Scheduled Caste youth from RSA Nagar near Karaiyiruppu, was hacked to death on June 12, 2019, following a caste feud, the enmity is still there after both the sides are flexing muscles.

Moreover, the presence of a Scheduled Caste leader in this area along with his supporters round-the-clock keeps the tension alive, sources in the police said.

The tension heightened when the supporters of this caste leader recently thrashed a youth from the opposite group and damaged his bike. Though the immediate police action led to the detention of a few supporters of this leader along with a huge cache of lethal arms, the opposite group suspects that their rivals might launch a major attack on them any time.

“We suspect that the prevailing tension and the presence of the caste leader in Karaiyiruppu area with his supporters might have forced the opposite group to take precautionary measures to protect themselves from the possible unexpected attack on them,” said a senior police officer here.

Further investigations are on.