MADURAI: The district police claimed to have cracked the mystery of three murders reported from the rural limits of the district with the arrest of a 38-year-old suspected serial killer. While the arrest was made in the second week of August, officials grilled him over the past week to establish his identity and involvement.
The suspect was identified as T Velmurugan (38) of Govinthampatti village in Theni district. Sources said that Velmurugan was a convicted murderer and had come out of jail around six years ago. The Vikkaramangalam police registered a case, produced Velmurugan before a court, which remanded him in the Central Prison.
The murders
On April 21 last, the Elumalai police station in Madurai district was alerted about the murder of 60-year-old M Vellaisamy. The elderly man was allegedly strangulated, then attacked with stones before being stabbed. The deceased was sleeping alone at his farm.
While the usual angles were probed into, the police hit a dead end as they could not establish the motive, much less identify the killer. The following May 4 saw the Usilampatti Town police station register a case in the murder of one G Ayyavu alias Gurunathan (84) of Linganayakkanpatti. The octogenarian had retired for the night at his farm and was reportedly alone.
The investigators were again faced with the problem of solving a crime wherein details were sketchy.
Even as the Elumalai and Usilampatti Town police were groping in the dark, the third murder was reported on August 4. The victim was 65-year-old V Paulsamy from Eravapatti. The Vikkramangalam police station officials said that the victim was sleeping alone at his farm when the assailant struck.
The link
While the investigators had no lead, striking similarities in the selection of victims, style of attack and the area (Usilampatti sub division) pointed towards the fact that the police were dealing with one man, who could be a serial killer. However, they were no farther from where they had begun as nearly three months after the first murder, they had no suspect.
Given the murders took place in Usilampatti sub division, the sleuths tried to ascertain whether the victims had a common enemy. This line of investigation proved to be inconclusive. However, Paulsamy’s death rang alarm bells as there were uncanny similarities between the August 4 assault and a twin murder reported from Usilampatti 17 years ago
Usilampatti twin murders
In 2002, one Mokkai (65) and wife (55) were found murdered. Days after the murders, the police arrested a youth. Armed with evidence, the police proved beyond reasonable doubt who the murderer was and secured a conviction.
The Murderer
Now a 38-year-old man, T Velmurugan (38) of Govinthampatti village in Theni district is believed to have spent close to a decade in jail after his conviction in the Usilampatti twin murders. Not much is know about his stint in jail. It is believed that he was released around 2013 owing to his good conduct. Not much is known about him between the time he was released and the April 21 murder.
The arrest
The suspicion of the police became stronger when their sources claimed to have seen Velmurugan roaming the rural limits where the murders were reported from. After a sustained search, the police traced and arrested him in the second week of August.
The motive
Usilampatti Circle Inspector Vanitha said Velmurugan was suffering from a mental illness. “His childhood was unhappy and this left him with psychological scars. His father walked out on his mother when he was young. He dropped out of school and fled from home. In all the five murders, he woke up the sleeping victims in the dead of the night and sought food. When the refused rudely, Velmurugan strangulated them and then smashed their head with stones,” she said.