Minor among two held for Coimbatore revenge murder after selfie with victim’s body shared online

The police said the suspects abandoned their mobile phones after sharing the video and photos, which made the investigation difficult.

Madesh, who suffered a fracture while fleeing being taken to hospital. (Photo | Express)

COIMBATORE: A day after a 22-year-old youth was brutally murdered near Kinathukkadavu in Coimbatore, the district rural police have detained two suspects, including a 17-year-old youth, in connection with the case.

The duo had allegedly murdered the youth over a previous enmity, recorded themselves torturing the victim’s body with weapons, took a selfie with it and shared it on social media.

One of the suspects has been identified as S Madesh (21) of Sakthi Nagar, Arasampalayam, near Kinathukkadavu. The 17-year-old youth is a school dropout from the same village. They have been booked under Section 103 of the BNS.

The police said the suspects abandoned their mobile phone after sharing the video and photos, which made the investigation difficult.

On Friday afternoon, a police team spotted the duo on a rail over bridge near Kothavadi Pirivu (Kodangipalayam). Upon noticing the police, they jumped off the bridge. Madesh suffered a fracture on his right arm. The police chased them and caught the duo.

The injured was taken to the Government District Headquarters Hospital in Pollachi for treatment. The minor was lodged at the Juvenile Home in the city.

The deceased S Ashwin (22), a daily wage labourer from Solavampalayam, was brutally killed in the early hours of Thursday when he was at his friend’s residence in Sikalampalayam, a neighbouring village near Kinathukkadavu.

Preliminary investigation revealed that on Wednesday evening, while returning from work, Ashwin allegedly asked the suspects to buy liquor for him. When they refused, he allegedly assaulted them.

The police said the duo followed Ashwin, confirmed he was drinking at his friend’s house and was sleeping alone in a room, and barged in around midnight to kill him.

Sources added Ashwin had earlier had told the duo to stop wandering and focus on work, and at times, he had even assaulted them. He had also scolded the minor in front of his friends a year ago for dropping out of school. The anger over these humiliations led to the revenge killing, a police officer added.