Man hacked to death and beheaded in suspected revenge killing near Thottiyam, five arrested

Five persons have been arrested on charges of murdering a 35-year-old man in Thottiyam police station limits in the district a couple of days ago. The killers beheaded the victim identified as N. Suresh of Alathudaiyanpatti village and hid the head in a bush near a lake.

Police recovered the severed head and seized the swords and a two-wheeler used for commiting the murder.  Suresh had been staying in the house of his wife Madhavi at Mullipaadi in Thottiyam police station limits for the past two months.

The murder was committed on the night of September 2 when Suresh was standing at the Mullipaadi bus stop when two armed persons on a motorcycle came to the spot and hacked him to death. The killers beheaded Suresh and took away his head.

The Thottiyam police registered a case of murder and launched a probe. Investigation revealed that Suresh had murdered Thiagu in 2024 in Salem district. Thiagu’s brother U. Kalpesh, 35, M. Ashwin Kumar alias Padaiyappa, 26, both of Alathudaiyanpatti, and M. Parameswaran, 26, of Mullipaadi had committed the murder on September 2, a police press release said.

Acting swiftly, the police arrested Parameswaran and based on his confession recovered the severed head of the victim. Parameswaran was remanded in judicial custody on September 3 and lodged in the Central Prison, Tiruchi. 

The police on Thursday arrested Kalpesh and Ashwin Kumar besides their accomplices U. Kaviarasan, 32, and U. Praveen alias Mohamed. The release said the police were on the look out for two more persons in connection with the murder.