VILLUPURAM: Three serial rapist-murderers involved in more than three cases around Thiruvennainallur and Thirunavalur were arrested by a special police team on Sunday.
Police said that in June 2012, the body of Dhanam (39) (name changed) of Thulukampattu village near Thiruvennainallur was found inside a farm well with throat slit.
A suspicious murder case was registered by the Thiruvennainallur police, who managed to arrest S Ilayaraja (28) of Aamur village.
Later, based on his confession police officials registered the case as murder for gain, and he was remanded at Cuddalore central prison. Police were on the lookout for three of his accomplices, including prime accused Mathiazhagan (29), Gurubalan (37) and Vadivel (23). Later Ilayaraja was remanded at the Cuddalore central prison. A special team was formed to nab the accused and officials arrested Mathiazhagan at Bharathi nagar bus stand on Sunday morning.
On information given by Mathiazhagan during interrogation, Gurubalan and Vadivel where also arrested by the special team police.
Police officials found that the four-member gang had so far raped and murdered three women, including Dhanam, since 2011 and had abandoned the bodies on the scene of murder. According to their statement, the gang also raped Lakshmi (40) (name changed) of Kothanur village near Thiruvennainallur in 2011 and Sennammal (45) (name changed) of Nathamur village near Thirunavalur in 2012.
In each incident, the gang members sexually assaulted the women, snatch their jewellery and slit their throats.
A case on murder for gain was booked and police officials produced all four in court and took them into police custody in order to investigate further, with police suspecting that the gang was larger and was involved in the murder of more women. Weapons including knives and two motor cycles used by the murderers was also confiscated from the arrested gang members police sources said.