The headless body of a 13-year-old boy, who was reported missing from his house since Sunday, was found near a farmwell in Moolakaraipatti, near here on Monday.
Police said Esakidas (13), son of Sudalaikannu and a resident of Muthuveerappapuram near Moolakaraipatti, was a 8th standard student at a school in Munanchipatti. He had left his house on Sunday evening to play with his friends, but failed to turn up even late in the night. His family members and relatives launched a search for him in vain.
On Monday, the family members along with the villagers launched a fresh search for Esakidas. During the search, a group of villagers found the headless body of the boy near a farmwell.
They immediately alerted Moolakaraipatti police, who rushed to the spot. The personnel found the missing head in the well. Later, police sent the body to Tirunelveli Medical College Hospital for postmortem.
Police said Esakidas had left his house at 6.30 pm on Sunday to join his friends in Karthigai Deepam celebrations. He took leave of his friends around 7.30 pm. Though all his friends were at the temple at 8 pm during the ceremonies, no one had seen him.
Police said though no evidence of the boy being used for sacrifice was found, they were not ruling out the possibility. A case was registered and investigations are on.
Class V boy killed
A class V student was killed and two other girls were injured in a lightning attack in Tiruchy on Monday.
Sources said that S Sakthivel (10), R Devika (10) and R Dharsini (7), all students of a Panchayat Union Primary School in Kunnakulam in Tiruvellarai, were coming out of their school to go back to their houses in Ulavarkottam. While they were crossing the entrance lightning struck the trio and Sakthivel was killed on the spot.
The other two girls sustained serious injuries. Police rushed to the spot and sent the injured to the Tiruchy Government Hospital.
Similarly, around 4 pm on Monday, when V Kannagi (27), an agriculture coolie of Alangudi Mahajanam near Lalgudi was working in a farm a lightening struck her and she was charred to death on the spot. Kallakudi police are investigating.