MADURAI: The Madurai district police on Saturday arrested a middle-aged woman and her paramour in connection with the murder of a retired armyman, whose decapitated body was found in a secluded area in Muniyandipuram in Kalligudi police limits three weeks back.
On June 19, the decapitated body of a middle-aged man was found in a decomposed state near a sand quarry in Muniyandipuram. Though a murder case was registered by the Kalligudi police station, police could not make much progress as they could not identify the man.
On June 30, a complaint was registered at with Sedapatti police by M Solairaja, a policeman with the Tamil Nadu Special Police Battalion in Palani, that his father Mayazhaghu (55), a retired armyman from Veeralampatti village was missing.
Further investigation revealed that the body that was found was that of Mayazhaghu. Police then found that he was murdered by his wife Boopathy and her paramour Pethanan, both aged around 40. Pethanan, hailing from A Thottiyapatti village near Peraiyur, was her cousin (maternal aunt’s son), police sources said.
According to police, Boopathy married Mayazhaghu when she was around 13 after which he served for many years in the military. The couple had two sons, one working with the army and the other with the Tamil Nadu police, and a daughter.
A few years ago, Boopathy allegedly developed a relationship with Pethanan. Mayazhaghu came to know about the relationship and the couple allegedly fought frequently over this.
On June 15, the couple planned to visit their newly married son Solairaja in Palani. Mayazhaghu, a habitual drinker, was in an inebriated state when the couple left their home, police said. On reaching Tirumangalam, Boopathy allegedly called Pethanan with a plan to murder Mayazhaghu. The trio went in an auto to Muniyandipuram, where they murdered him.
When the villagers and relatives inquired about the whereabouts of Mayazhaghu, Boopathy allegedly told them that he had a relationship with another woman while in the military and might have gone to visit her.