Double murder in Kovilpatti – The Hindu

In a shocking incident, back to back murders on Sunday night, including that of a woman, have sparked tension in the Kovilpatti region.

According to police, Pragatheeswaran from Valluvar Nagar in Kovilpatti was working as a driver. On Sunday night, while he was standing on Kadalaiyur Road, a gang approached and confronted him. In the ensuing altercation, they attacked him with a sickle, killing him on the spot.

Preliminary investigation revealed that the issue stemmed from a dispute related to a wedding banner allegedly involving one of the primary accused Sathish.

Within 20 minutes, another gang reportedly reached Sathish’s house in Pudugramam and assaulted his mother, Kasthuri, with sharp weapons. When her brother Shenbagaraj tried to intervene, he was also attacked. Kasthuri died on the spot due to injuries, and her brother sustained multiple injuries.

Upon receiving the information Kovilpatti east police rushed to the spots, recovered the bodies and sent it for postmortem examination.

To prevent untoward incidents, Pragatheeswaran’s body has been sent to Virudhunagar Government Hospital and Kasthuri’s body to Tirunelveli Government Medical College and Hospital for post mortem examination.

Speaking to The Hindu, Thoothukudi SP Albert John said that Kasturi’s murder was a result of sudden provocation, following Pragatheeswarana’s killing. He dismissed the speculations about communal violence involved in the crime and clarified that so far the police department has apprehended 8 individuals in connection with these murders and all belong to various caste groups.

Mr. Albert John noted that heavy police deployment has been made in the Pudugramam area in Kovilpatti for security reasons.

A case has been registered at Kovilpatti east police station and further investigations are on.