SIPCOT police arrested seven youth on Wednesday and is in search of two others in connection with the murder of an AIADMK councillor from Kondakuppam panchayat, Muthulingam.
Muthulingam, the 4th ward councillor and the AIADMK branch secretary of the panchayat, was hacked to death by nine persons at his Ceylon Colony house at about 9 pm on Monday.
The police, nabbed Dharmaraj (29) on Tuesday night. Based on the information provided by Dharmaraj about his associates, police arrested Padmanaban (27), Muthukumar (29), Sasikumar (25), Ramesh (29), Vinod kumar (25) and Ramachandran (23). They are all residents of the same area, said the police.
The preliminary inquiry into the murder case revealed that Padmanaban’s sister eloped with a certain Jayaraj, a few months back.
On May 9, Padmanaban picked up a quarrel with Jayaraj that ended with Jayaraj and his friend Suresh stabbing Padmanaban.
However, he escaped with minor injuries. The police arrested Jayaraj and Suresh and booked a case under section 307 of IPC.
However, Muthulingam got the duo out on bail. Since then, Padmanaban harboured enmity against Muthulingam, a history-sheeter under police surveillance since 2001.
“The accused were trying to sneak into Chittoor district in Andhra Pradesh to escape from the police arrest,” said M Nagarajan, investigation officer with Ranipet police.
“I received information that the accused were hiding near the new bridge at Melpadi, we immediately rushed to the spot and made the arrest,” he said.
“The arrested were produced before the Judicial Magistrate Court in Ranipet,” said Lavanya, the deputy superintendent of Ranipet police.
“The court has remanded them under judicial custody, and currently they are kept in the Vellore Central Prison for Men.”