CHENNAI: The body of 21-year-old college student who was murdered and buried in Tiruvallur district was exhumed in the presence of Tahsildar on Sunday. Police are investigating the role of two schoolgirls whom the deceased had allegedly extorted Rs 50,000 each on the pretext of uploading their photos online.
According the police, the crime came to light after farmers of Eechangadu village noticed blood stains and informed the police. After exhuming, the deceased was identified as R Prem Kumar (25) of Otteri in Chengalpattu district, a final year student in a private college.
According to the police, he was allegedly in a relationship with two class 10 girls and had clicked intimate photos of them. “Threatening to send the photos to their parents or upload them online, Prem Kumar extorted Rs 50,000 from each girl over a span of one year,” said the police.
Recently, the girls befriended one Ashok from Red Hills through Instagram and told him about the ordeal and allegedly asked him get Prem Kumar’s phone. While the girls claimed they only asked Ashok to retrieve the phone, the latter allegedly kidnapped Prem Kumar from Sholavaram Toll Plaza.
Police said Ashok took Prem Kumar and attacked him with help from four of his friends. Later that night, Ashok and another friend took Prem Kumar to Eechangadu, where they allegedly murdered and buried him. Police said a clear picture will emerge only after the arrest of Ashok and his friend.
Prem Kumar’s body was handed over to the family on Monday after a postmortem at the Government Stanley Hospital. Based on a complaint, Arambakkam police registered a case and detained the two schoolgirls from Chengalpattu and four men from Red Hills.