Nine drug peddlers arrested for murder of gang member

Nine persons were arrested by Moranam police in connection with the murder of a 21-year-old welder near Cheyyar town in Tiruvannamalai a few days ago.

Police said the arrested persons were identified as S. Ramana, 24, K. Velu, 19, B. Kathirvelu, 22, G. Parthiban, 25, F. Ramachandran, 36, S. Prabhu, 34, K. Jeeva, 20, S. Naveen Kumar, 22, H. Jagadeesan, 26. All of them are drug peddlers in Cheyyar and surrounding areas. They were lodged at Central Prison in Vellore.

Initial inquiry revealed that the victim B. Mohammed Afsal, a native of Purasai village near Cheyyar, was involved in drug peddling along with the gang in Cheyyar, Arani, Vandavasi towns and surrounding areas. Afsal was to procure ganja from sellers in Andhra Pradesh.

Police said that the gang had given money to Afsal, a few weeks ago, to buy ganja from Andhra Pradesh for selling it in small quantities to buyers in the area. Subsequently, Afsal told the gang that he had spent the money meant for ganja procurement and was also non-committal in returning the money.

Investigation also found that Afsal wanted to head the gang, to which many members objected. As a result, the gang decided to eliminate him. They took him near the lake and offered alcohol. Later, they killed him and buried his body near the lake.

G. Dharmarajan, Deputy Inspector-General of Police (DIG), Vellore range, has issued a suspension order against Jeevaraj Manikandan, Circle Inspector, Cheyyar Town police, for failing to take adequate steps to prevent drug peddling in the area. Earlier, Mr. Manikandan served as Sub-Inspector at the police station. He returned to the police station after getting promoted as Inspector, police said. Further probe is underway.