CUDDALORE: A man accused in the 2020 murder of a night watchman near Chidambaram has been arrested after five years, police said on Thursday.
According to sources, E Natarajan (55), a resident of Rajiv Gandhi Nagar in Kadavachery near Chidambaram, worked as a night watchman at a commercial complex. “On April 26, 2020, he was found murdered near the Khan Shakib canal in Ammampettai. Annamalai Nagar police registered a case and launched an investigation,” said an official.
As the accused remained unidentified, the case was transferred to the Cuddalore district CBCID police on September 9, 2022. However, a breakthrough came on Wednesday night when an unidentified assailant attacked M Chinnaiyan (65), a stove repair worker, at his house on Ammampettai Main Road. The attacker fled after slashing Chinnaiyan on the forehead with a knife.
Following a complaint, Annamalai Nagar Police Inspector K Ambedkar and his team launched a search and arrested M Kesavan (52) of Mudikondan Mettu Street in Nannilam Taluk, Thiruvarur district, in the Ammampettai area.
During interrogation, police found that Kesavan was also involved in the 2020 murder of Natarajan. “Further investigation confirmed that he was the one who committed the crime,” an official said.
A police source revealed that Kesavan had previously served a jail term for the murder of a man named Sekar in the Nannilam police sub-division between 1997 and 1998. “He also had theft cases registered against him at the Nannilam and Aanaikaran Chatram police stations,” the source added.
Upon learning of the arrest, Cuddalore District Superintendent of Police S Jeyakumar and Chidambaram Sub-Divisional Deputy Superintendent of Police T Augustin Joshua Lamech visited the Annamalai Nagar police station and commended the team for their efforts.
Speaking to reporters, Jeyakumar said, “Annamalai Nagar police arrested Kesavan in connection with the attack on Chinnaiyan. During interrogation, it was revealed that he was also the accused in the 2020 murder of watchman Natarajan. As his aunt’s house was in Ammampettai, he had been frequenting the area for nearly 15 years.”