COIMBATORE: Anamalai police arrested a couple on charges of murdering a labourer and burying him at a grove in Kaliyapuram, near Anamalai, on Saturday.
The arrested have been identified as M Chandran (50) and his wife C Kaleeswari (48), residents of Narikkalpathi. The couple had been working as labourers at a grove owned by Kathirvel in Kaliyapuram for three months.
The deceased has been identified as N Karuppusamy (44), a resident of Aliyarpathi. Chandran was a friend of Karuppusamy, and the latter had asked Chandran to inform him if he came across work in any grove. Subsequently, Karuppusamy visited Chandran's grove and the duo consumed liquor.
However, on Tuesday night, Karuppusamy allegedly tried to misbehave with Chandran's wife, Kaleeswari, at the grove while intoxicated. In retaliation, Chandran assaulted him using a wooden log and he fell to the ground.
Chandran later confessed that soon after, with Kaleeswari’s help, he took Karuppusamy’s body and buried it 30 metres away from their grove house under a coconut tree.
After a foul smell emanated from the grove, other labourers irrigating the grove informed the grove owner, who informed Anamalai police.
Following an investigation, Anamalai police registered a case, arrested the couple and remanded them in judicial custody.
"We have arrested the couple from their relatives’ home in Anamalai and they confessed to the crime," said an investigating officer.