CHENNAI: The Avadi police on Tuesday arrested the panchayat president of Vichoor village near Manali in connection with the murder of the panchayat vice-president’s husband that took place five months ago. The victim’s family in November filed a petition with the Chief Minister’s Cell regarding the alleged involvement of the president in the murder.
According to the police, Vichoor panchayat vice-president’s husband S Suman (47) was murdered following a fight over including certain names in the invitation card for a temple festival. Saran (34), one of the accused, started the fight demanding that his name be mentioned in the invitation. This led to a scuffle between Suman’s elder brother Suresh and Saran. Following this, Suman intervened to save his brother.
On October 2, one day after the fight, a gang murdered Suman and fled. Subsequently, the police arrested five persons. However, Suman’s wife Vaidehi filed a petition with the Chief Minister’s cell stating that the panchayat president, Sankar, was the mastermind behind the incident and that he used the fight to settle his score with Suman. Hence, the police investigated his role in the crime and apprehended him from Chidambaram on Tuesday. He was produced before a court and remanded in judicial custody.