CUDDALORE: The bodies of two missing youths were recovered from a sand dumping area near Neyveli on Tuesday, a month after they were reported missing. Police confirmed they were murdered and buried in the sand. One suspect has been detained, while two others remain at large.
N Appuraj (22) from T Puthur near Cuddalore was reported missing on February 8. The next day, the family of his friend B Saranraj (22) from M Puthur also filed a missing person report. Investigations revealed they had been missing since January 22.
Following orders from Cuddalore District Superintendent of Police S Jeyakumar, special teams were formed to locate them. Investigators analysed phone records and tracked their last known movements.
Police detained Balraj, a lorry driver from the same village, on Monday. During questioning, he confessed that, along with two accomplices, he murdered them and buried their bodies in Neyveli Lignite Corporation India Limited’s Mine II.
On Tuesday, a police team, accompanied by revenue officials, exhumed the decomposed bodies. A medical team from a private Puducherry college conducted an autopsy before handing them over to the families for final rites.
SP Jeyakumar stated that Balraj claimed the victims had used abusive language towards his sister while drinking, leading him to attack them with an iron rod before burying them. However, police suspect another motive, as Balraj led them to an isolated area he was familiar with due to his work near the quarry.
Efforts are ongoing to arrest the remaining suspects. Further investigations will determine whether additional factors contributed to the murder, as police suspect more to the case than Balraj’s initial confession suggests.