TENKASI: A Sivakasi resident and his brother were arrested by the Ilathur police here on Thursday in connection with a case registered over the recovery of a partially burnt woman's body near Ilathur on Tuesday.
The accused person was identified as John Gilbert, husband of deceased Kamali, who allegedly committed the murder over a family dispute. He allegedly burned the body with the help of Thanga Thirupathi, his brother.
The incident came to light on Tuesday morning when locals found a partially burnt body near a pond, located about 500m from the Kollam-Madurai National Highway and alerted the police. Based on the information, Ilathur police and Superintendent of Police S Aravind reached the spot and launched an investigation. Three special teams were formed to trace the suspect. During the probe, police found a toe ring (metti) and the woman's unscathed left hand, which helped them zero in on the suspects, sources said.
"The breakthrough came when the CCTV footage from nearby locations showed a car moving suspiciously. The police traced the vehicle and questioned its owner, which led them to John Gilbert. Gilbert allegedly killed Kamali, a tailor, following a family dispute. He then kept her body in the trunk of his friend's car and roamed around various places, including Courtallam. Later, he took the body to the isolated pond near Ilathur and set it on fire," sources added.
Gilbert's brother Thanga Thirupathi has also been nabbed for aiding the crime. According to sources, Gilbert, who works at a paint shop, married Kamali four years ago. The couple has a four-year-old daughter.
Meanwhile, Kadayanallur police recovered a burnt body of a Sri Lankan Tamil refugee, secured his son in this connection and began an inquiry.