On TV talk show, teen nails her father in triple murder

June 6, 2012

Villapura


Villupuram (Tamil Nadu), June 6: A 16-year-old's anguished revelations on a TV talk show might end up bringing the guilty to book in a triple murder committed four years ago.

In the crime show aired a week ago, the teenager broke down on questioning by the anchor and implicated her father, A Murugan, in the murder of a man, his young daughter and son-in-law in 2008.

Alerted by the man's wife who watched the show, and following the leads, police on Tuesday exhumed the skeletal remains of the three victims from Murugan's house in a village in Villupuram district of Tamil Nadu. A manhunt is on for Murugan, who went missing on May 17, the day the show was recorded.

Villupuram deputy superintendent of police G Sekar told TOI that a satellite channel had invited the 16-year-old girl, who had eloped with her boyfriend K Satish Kumar, 21, a month ago, to take part in a show on real life crime stories.

Her parents, Murugan and Rajeswari, of Nallanpillai Petral village, were also invited to be on the show, recorded on May 17 at the channel's studio in Chennai. During the show, the girl refused to go with her parents, saying her father would murder her if she went with them. She said her mother Rajeswari had told her that her father poisoned a young couple and the woman's father and buried their bodies near a well in their house.

Rajeswari intervened immediately, saying she did not witness the triple murder. But she said that every time they quarelled, her husband would threaten to kill her like he had killed three people in their house. The anchor of the show on Zee Tamil, Nirmala Periyasamy, who tried to mediate between the girl and her parents during the show, said, "The girl was constantly telling us that she was afraid of her father, as he may murder her and her husband. When I repeatedly questioned her, the girl broke down and told us that her father had murdered three persons in their house in 2008."

The anchor said the channel sent officials to the village to verify the girl's claim. "We sent a crew to the village and tried to verify if what the girl had said was true. We found that three persons, Lavanya, Silambarasan and Sekar, had gone missing from the village in 2008. It was only after confirming this, that we telecast the programme on May 28," she added.

After the show was recorded, Murugan claimed to be innocent and left with Rajeswari to their village. "Furious with his wife for backing up their daughter's accusation, he abused her on the bus to their village," an officer said. "He got down at Tindivanam and left saying she would never see him alive again."

The programme was telecast by the channel on May 28. Three days later, a woman approached Villupuram SP N Baskaran stating that her husband A Sekar, a well-digger, her daughter A Lavanya, and her lover A Silambarasan had gone missing over three years ago. Baskaran forwarded the complaint to Villupuram taluk police and a police team visited the village and dug up the remains of the victims.

'Lure of gold led to couple's murder'

DSP Sekar said the woman did not lodge a complaint when her husband went missing in December 2008. He disappeared while trying to locate their daughter who had eloped with her boyfriend. "She said we believed that her husband found the couple wand was staying with them," he said. "After watching the show, she feared her husband, daughter and son-in-law were murdered and approached police on June 1."

The investigating officer said Murugan played mediator between Sekar and his daughter Lavanya and Silambarasan. "They had left the Lavanya's gold jewellery with Murugan for safekeeping," he said. "There was an altercation when Sekar asked Murugan to return the jewellery."

Murugan decided to eliminate them and keep the gold so he gave them food laced with poison, he said. The sofa-maker buried the bodies in the backyard of his house.



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Agencies
March 22,2020

Thane, Mar 22: Eight men were arrested at Kalyan in the district on Sunday as they were found playing cricket during the 'Janata curfew' being observed to check the spread of coronavirus, police said.

They were playing cricket at Kala Talao Maidan in the afternoon, police said.

Police also detained a boy in this connection, an official said.

"Action was taken against them for defying the prohibitory orders issued by the Thane Police Commissionerate.

They also went against the 'Janata curfew' being observed to curb the spread of coronavirus," the police official said.

The Mahatma Phule Chowk Police Station registered an offence against the accused under IPC sections 188 (disobedience to order duly promulgated by public servant), 269 (negligent act likely to spread infection of disease dangerous to life), 290 (public nuisance).

They were also booked under the Maharashtra Police Act as well as the National Disaster Act 2005, the official said.

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Agencies
March 24,2020

Kochi, Mar 24: A 54-year-old domestic passenger was arrested at the airport here for allegedly refusing to follow instructions given by doctorsfor prevention of the spread of novel coronavirus, police said here on Tuesday.

Lami Arackal from Ernakulam, who landed from Chennai at the Cochin International Airport at Nedumbassery on Monday night, was arrested based on a complaint from health officials, they said.

He was, however, later released on bail.

Arackal allegedly refused to wear mask and follow other instructions to be observed by the passengers coming from other states as part of the measures to check COVID-19 spread.

He also allegedly misbehaved with the medical officers, police said.

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Agencies
January 21,2020

Tengnoupal, Jan 21: A woman IPS officer has alleged that a rifleman of Assam Rifles physically assaulted and molested her at a check post near Moreh town in Manipur's Tengnoupal district, police said on Tuesday.

Based on a written complaint of the IPS officer, an FIR has been registered against rifleman P K Pandey and a summon has been issued to him to appear before the concerned police station, the police said.

Manipur DGP L M Khaute told reporters on Monday, "We have made contacts with the Assam Rifles authorities. A complaint has been lodged by the officer." In her complaint, the IPS officer said that on reaching Khudengtabi check post on Sunday afternoon one of her escorts, who was not in uniform, told the frisking party of Assam Rifles to register their entry.

Despite showing their identity cards, the rifleman allegedly detained them, she said.

"We offered to search ourselves and the vehicle, but he was not interested", she said.

The rifleman began hitting the official vehicle and "misbehaved, humiliated, harassed and assaulted me and my escort personnel," she alleged.

The IPS officer also alleged that the rifleman molested her and when her escorts tried to intervene, he thrashed them.

She further accused the rifleman of making "sexually coloured" remarks against her, using abusive language and even tried to snatch her phone when she tried to call her senior officers.

The issue was brought under control after the matter was reported to the Brigadier of 26th Assam Rifles and the Major of the D-company of 12th AR, police said.

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