Three men were arrested for allegedly strangling a 55-year-old travel agency proprietor and disposing of his body in the Lower Bhavani Canal near Bhavanisagar on September 23.
The post-mortem examination revealed a fracture of his neck bone. A special police team subsequently traced his last phone conversation to Dhanraj (40) of Venganaicken Palayam near Punjai Puliampatti.
According to the police, Dhanraj, along with Anandan (41) and Balamurugan (42), had planned to steal money from a temple hundial in Nilakottai. After finding no money, they went to Usilampatti, hired a car and travelled towards Sathyamangalam with Jayachandran as the driver.
The three allegedly strangled him with a rope near the canal, dumped his body in it and fled with the car. They allegedly sold the vehicle for ₹90,000 in Mettupalayam and shared the proceeds.
The three were arrested and remanded in judicial custody on Tuesday (September 29, 2026). The vehicle was recovered, the police said.
Published – September 29, 2026 05:52 pm IST
