Three persons arrested for killing a trader in Tiruvannamalai

A couple and their son were arrested near Polur town in Tiruvannamalai for allegedly killing a country chicken wholesale dealer over a financial dispute.

Police said the arrested persons were identified as B. Ellumalai, 58, his wife E. Sakthi, 51, and son E. Sakthivel, 21. They were residents of Alangaramangalam village near Polur town. Initial inquiry revealed that the victim K. Sankar, 55, a resident of Maraimalai Nagar near Vandalur in Chennai, was a wholesale country chicken trader. He used to buy chicken in wholesale markets in surrounding districts like Tiruvannamalai, Villupuram, and Kancheepuram and sell them in retail in the area of his residence.

The police said that as part of his business, Sankar went to Dharmapuri to buy country chicken on his two-wheeler on March 10. On his return, he had his lunch in a roadside eatery where the key suspect Sathivel was befriended.

Police said that the suspect Sakthivel lured Sankar to his farmland in Alangaramangalam village under the pretext of discussing ideas about a chicken farm. Sakthivel also promised that he would buy chicken from Sankar. Police said that the duo consumed liquor in the farmland. After some time, when Sankar demanded money for the chicken Sakthivel promised to buy, the duo got into an argument. In a fit of rage, Sakthivel stabbed Sankar, who collapsed on the spot.

Immediately, Sakthivel informed his parents Ellumalai and Sakthi, who helped him dump the body of Sankar, loads of chicken, and the two-wheeler in the farmland. Based on a complaint from Sankar’s family, Maraimalai Nagar police traced a mobile phone signal of Sankar and found that he was last seen in Tiruvannamalai. With inputs from local police, Maraimalai Nagar police nabbed the suspects. A probe is under way.