Rice smuggler hacked to death in Coimbatore

COIMBATORE: A 35-year-old ration rice smuggler was hacked to death at Thambagoundanpalayam village in Madukkarai on Sunday.
The deceased was identified as R Ramu, a native of Theni district.
He was staying with his wife Rajeswari and two children in a rented house at Velanthavalam in Kerala. He used to visit Coimbatore to buy ration rice and send them to a person at Velanthavalam, police said.
Ramu was sleeping in a rented room when an unidentified person killed him. “We believe that he was killed by the husband of his Madurai-based relative, with whom he was in a relationship,” an officer said.