VILLUPURAM: What was initially believed to be a case of suicide took a curious turn on Saturday after the police arrested an 18-year-old boy for allegedly setting his 19-year-old girlfriend ablaze at Marakkanam in the district on Thursday.
Based on a tip-off that the parents of the girl Chitra had buried her body without informing the officials after taking `4 lakh as ‘blood money’ on Friday, the police registered a case under section 174 of the CrPC and detained Mohan.
Sources said that Chitra, a resident of Anumandhai village, was in a relationship with her neighbour Mohan (18) for the past six months. On Thursday, the neighbours spotted Mohan talking to Chitra near her bathroom. A few minutes later, they heard screams coming from her house. The neighbours rushed to the spot, but found the door locked from the outside and Mohan missing. They broke open the door and found Chitra engulfed in flames. She soon died.
Chitra’s parents - Sagadevan and Anjalai - assumed that she had committed suicide and arranged for her funeral without informing the authorities. When the neighbours raised questions about Mohan’s suspicious presence at the spot, a meeting of panchayat elders was convened on Thursday evening, where Mohan confessed to the murder.
Meanwhile, a few villagers informed the VAO Mageshwaran about the deal, who lodged a complaint with the Marakkanam police, suspecting Mohan’s role.