The police on Saturday conducted a late-night raid and arrested two supporters of a local panchayat leader for allegedly threatening to murder an activist of a rival group, at Vadamalai Kurichi village near here. They also seized 20 petrol bombs and some weapons during the raid.
According to police, Sundarapandian, a supporter of Indira, a local panchayat leader, had filed a complaint alleging that he received a death threat from Sekar alias Amudhu and Chandramohan, supporters of a rival group leader, Prema. The two groups, led by Prema and Indira, have been locked in bitter rivalry for years.
On January 15, Soundrapandian, a supporter of Indira, was killed in a clash between the rival groups.
Sundarapandian lodged a police complaint on Soundrapandian’s murder, following which a case was registered against 19 supporters of Prema. Six of the accused including Madhavan, Chellapandi and Thangamari, surrendered. During Saturday’s raid, police seized petrol bombs and weapons from the houses of Madhavan and Thangamari.