Man bludgeons girl, 22, to death

Salem: A 22-year-old man bludgeoned a 19-year-old girl to death near Gangavalli here on Tuesday evening after she refused to accept his proposal. Police have formed four special teams to nab the accused and two of his accomplices.
A police officer identified the deceased as M Roja, a resident of Koodamalai village. She was a graduate student of a private college at Narasingapuram.
Ramachandran, deputy superintendent of police, Attur division, said N Samidurai, of Thandavarayapuram, met Roja when he came to Koodamalai to meet his uncle. “He fell for her and proposed her five days ago, when she was at Koodamalai bus stop. Roja turned down his proposal. However, Samidurai kept pestering her daily, forcing her to take up the issue with her father Murugesan. He warned Samidurai not to disturb his daughter anymore.”
The officer said Murugesan was preparing for the marriage of his elder daughter Nandhini that was scheduled for June 13. “He went outside with his wife and son on Tuesday, leaving behind Nandhini and Roja at home. Samidurai, along with two others, came to meet Roja at her house around 6pm. He doused her with kerosene. When Nandhini came to the rescue of her sister, he also poured kerosene on her.”
According to the officer, while the two accomplices caught hold of Nandhini, Samidurai pushed down Roja to the floor and smashed her head with a boulder. “Roja succumbed to her head injuries on the spot. Nandhini fainted after witnessing the gruesome incident.” When Murugesan returned home at night, he found his daughter dead in a pool of blood.