THENI: The search for a woman daily wage labourer near Cumbum ended in a freshly dug-up pit inside her neighbour's house compound on Wednesday. The neighbour was arrested for allegedly murdering the woman and burying her in the pit.
The deceased woman, M Muthupechi (40), was residing at Kullappakavundanpatti village near Cumbum with her elder sister Ponnuthayi. Muthupechi, who had partial disabilities, worked at a cardamom estate in Cumbum-Kerala border. On Monday, she did not return home after work and her mobile was also switched off. After her relatives searched everywhere in vain, they filed a complaint at Gudalur south police station on Tuesday.
Preliminary inquiries revealed that Muthupechi and her neighbour Manoj (26) had some differences. The villagers went to Manoj's house on Wednesday and spotted a freshly dug and closed pit in his house compound. Police and medical teams rushed to the spot and recovered Muthupechi's corpse from the pit. Postmortem examination was conducted on the spot, and the body was handed over to the family. Police have arrested Manoj and further probe is on.