Tamil Nadu: Man held for murdering two women in Ariyalur

TRICHY: The Jayankondam police on Tuesday arrested a man for murdering two women in a eucalyptus grove near Jayankondam in the Ariyalur district. The accused committed the crime to steal the jewels from the two victims.
The accused was identified as N Paulraj, 38, a resident of Kazhuvanthondi village near Udayarpalayam. On October 22, the deceased identified by the police as Kannagi, 50 and Malarvizhi, 29, both hailed from Periyavalaiyam village went to pick edible mushrooms in a eucalyptus grove. As the duo did not return home for a long time, the family members and locals visited the eucalyptus grove to locate the victims.
While the bicycles were abandoned, the two women were found dead and their faces disfigured. As the grove locality was infamous for the illegal hunting of rabbits, police interrogated multiple suspects in the nearby villages. Based on the evidence, Jayankondam police interrogated the accused Paulraj. In his confession, the accused told police that he committed the murders to steal the valuables from the two women since he was in desperate need of money to celebrate Diwali.
The accused had debts, police added.