VIRUDHUNAGAR: Two security guards of an ancient temple managed by the Hindu Religious and Charitable Endowments (HR&CE) Department at Devadhanam near Rajapalayam were murdered by an unknown gang in the intervening night of Monday and Tuesday to loot cash from the shrine’s hundial, police said.
Police sources said only a few thousands of rupees could have been stolen from the Nachadai Thavirtharuliya Swami Temple as the HR&CE had cleared the hundial collection during a recent festival.
Eight CCTV cameras were installed in and around the temple, but the assailants had taken away the Digital Video Recorder (DVR) connected to them. Gold ornaments used for adorning the deities were not stored at the temple, police said. The deceased were identified as security guards R Pechi Muthu (50) and S Sankara Pandian (65), both local residents.
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Pechi Muthu and S Sankara Pandian were found dead with deep cut wounds to their neck —suspected to have been inflicted with machetes —by Madasamy, another guard who came to the temple on Tuesday morning to relieve his colleagues from duty. Madasamy immediately alerted the temple administration, which, in turn, informed the Seithur police.
The ancient Shiva shrine, which is one of the Panja Sthalams in South TN, is believed to have been constructed by the Pandyas in the 14th century. The temple is surrounded by a huge compound wall. According to police sources, the temple functions between 7am and 11am, and again from 5 pm to 7 pm, and is guarded by the three watchmen — Pechi Muthu, Sankara Pandian and Madasamy.
Five special teams have been constituted to trace the culprits, and forensic experts are analysing other pieces of evidence. The Seithur police have registered a case under multiple sections, including murder. DIG (Madurai Range) Abhinav Kumar, Virudhunagar SP D Kannan, and DSP Fasina Beevi inspected the crime scene. The bodies were sent to the Government Hospital in Rajapalayam for postmortem examination and later handed over to the families.
Meanwhile, AIADMK general secretary Edappadi K Palaniswami strongly condemned the “brutal” double murder, accusing the DMK government of failing to maintain law and order in the state. “Due to the incompetence of the puppet CM M K Stalin and the interference of certain officials, the police are unable to function independently,” he claimed.