Erode police have taken Periyasemur DMK town secretary and former municipal head Kattu Subbu and Rajkumar, both accused in the murder of Vanniya Sangam district secretary Steel Ravi, into their custody for four days on Friday.
The police brought the duo from the Coimbatore prison and produced them before the JM Court II and sought permission to take them into their custody for 10 days for interrogation in connection with the murder of Vanniya Sangam district secretary Steel Ravi. But, the magistrate Saira Banu granted only 4 days of custody of the accused.
Ravi, a notorious rowdysheeter, was murdered on February 14 during the auctioning process for shops to be put up at the Periyamariamman temple festival in Erode. The next day, Manikandan, Dravidaselvan and Mohanraj surrendered in a Coimbatore court admitting that they were behind the murder of Ravi.
When police took them into their custody and held an inquiry, they confessed that a financier, Arun, of Erode Manikkampalayam was the brain behind the murder and he was assisted by Kattu Subbu.
Arun wanted to murder Ravi, as the latter was threatening him demanding money. The trio further said that some Nellai based notorious criminals, Sundar, Rajkumar and Mani were the actual murderers of Ravi and they were standing guard outside the hall to prevent Ravi from escaping from there.
Following this, Arun, Sundar, Rajkumar and Kattu Subbu surrendered one by one in different courts. Police have already inquired Arun and Sundar after taking them into custody.
On Friday, they brought Kattu Subbu and Rajkumar to the court and took them into their custody after court permission. The court ordered that both the accused should be produced before it on April 22.
Town DSP C Periyaiha told Express, among the three main accused, Sundar, Rajkumar and Mani, in the Steel Ravi murder case, Sundar was a prime accused in a case registered in 2008, in which three persons were killed at the same spot in Suthamalli police limit in Nellai district. The case is still pending before the court. A few months back, he was booked for the murder of a Naam Thamizhar Iyakkam functionary, Muthukumar in Nellai district. He was held under Goondas Act once.
As for Kattu Subbu, there are no major criminal case against him. In the Steel Ravi murder case, there is enough evidence to prove that he helped Arun in executing the murder. “The entire investigation may come to an end if Mani is arrested,” he said adding that “many accomplices of Ravi had been arrested and lodged in jail”.