COIMBATORE: A 22-year-old daily-wage labourer was allegedly murdered by two persons, including a 16-year-old boy, at Sikkalampalayam near Kinathukkadavu in Coimbatore district early on Thursday.
The suspects allegedly recorded themselves torturing the victim's body with weapons, took a selfie with it, and shared the video and photos on social media before fleeing the scene.
The deceased was identified as S Ashwin (22), a daily wage labourer from Kamaraj Colony in Solavampalayam, near Kinathukkadavu.
According to police sources, Ashwin returned from work on Wednesday evening and met his friend Vishnu (19). He stayed at Vishnu's house in Sikkalampalayam. Around 1 am on Thursday, two suspects barged into the house and locked themselves inside the room where Ashwin was alone sleeping. They slit his throat and assaulted the body with a hammer. The duo recorded the act on a mobile phone, took a selfie with the body and their weapons, and shared the video and photos on social media before escaping. They reportedly left the mobile phone at the crime scene. Sources said Vishnu was sleeping in the adjacent room, and the incident came to light after the video was circulated in local circles. Residents alerted Kinathukkadavu police, who retrieved the body and sent it for postmortem examination.
Police have traced the identities of the suspects from the video and selfie. While one of them has been identified as Mathesh (21), the other is believed to be a 16-year-old minor in conflict with law from Sikkalampalayam.
"Police suspect the murder may have been committed under the influence of drugs. Preliminary inquiry suggests Ashwin and the suspects knew each other as they belong to neighbouring villages in Solavampalayam panchayat. It is believed that Ashwin had warned them against consuming liquor and drugs, which may have triggered the revenge killing. However, police said the exact motive will be clear only after the arrests. Six special teams have been formed to nab the two suspects," said a senior police officer.
Kinathukkadavu police recovered the weapons, registered a case and are investigating.