COIMBATORE: Ten farmers were arrested on Thursday for allegedly murdering a migrant worker from north India, at Chithirai Chavadi near Perur. On Tuesday, a body was found in the Noyyal river between Pooluvampatti and Thennamanallur near Perur. The Alandurai police sent the body for post-mortem.
Initially, a case was registered under Section 174 of IPC. Meanwhile, a preliminary investigation revealed the deceased was killed on a farm owned by A Kaliyappan (56) of Chithirai Chavadi. The migrant worker, aged between 30 and 35 years, had allegedly trespassed onto the farm and attempted to steal something.
Sources said Kaliyappan and the workers tied him to a tree and assaulted him. Then, they informed the police. The police allegedly failed to rescue the migrant labour and told the farmers they would take him to the police station the next morning. On Tuesday morning, the farmers told the police the migrant labour had escaped. A police source said, “After the labourer succumbed, the farmers disposed his body in the river.”