RAMESWARAM: Nearly 10 months after being reported missing, the body of a 19-year-old was exhumed near Rameswaram after two of his friends reportedly confessed to the murder when they were arrested recently in a different case. Police sources said M Ganesh Raj (19), son of a fisherman from Chinnavan Pillai Street in Rameswaram, was reported missing on September 6 last year, at the Rameswaram Town police station.
Complaints were also lodged with the then Collector and the Chief Minister’s Cell. Renewing the appeal to find Ganesh Raj, his family recently petitioned the CM’s Cell again, said sources. Intensifying the search based on orders from the Superintendent of Police (SP) E Karthik, the Rameswaram Town police nabbed Ganesh’s friends.
“On Wednesday night, three of the four suspects who are also friends of Ganesh — Michael Ajith, Muthu Seran and Ajith — were arrested while Sathish went absconding. The three are in their early 20s,” said Deputy Superintendent (in-charge) of Rameswaram R Srinivasalu. The trio confessed to murdering Ganesh Raj in a drunken brawl. “They were also under the influence of ganja at the time,” the police officer said, adding that the four men reportedly beat Ganesh Raj to death and buried his body.
Based on their confession, a police team and a forensic team conducted a search at Semmamadam near Rameswaram bus stand on Thursday, from where the body of Ganesh Raj was exhumed in a highly decomposed condition. Samples were later sent for a DNA analysis.