A woman was found dead in a thorn bush in Namakkal district with signs of rape and murder. A 17-year-old boy was arrested following a complaint from her husband. Six people were also arrested for setting fire to huts in the area on suspicion of involvement.
The victim, Nitya, worked as an agricultural laborer and had gone to graze goats. Her husband came looking for her when she didn’t return home and found her body. Her family filed a complaint against North State workers who often fished in a nearby pond.
Police formed three special teams to investigate the case and arrested the 17-year-old. The boy admitted to the crime and led the police to Nitya’s buried cell phone.
The arson incident and subsequent tension in the area led to a peace talk between the two parties, presided over by the district collector and superintendent of police. The district administration promised necessary security and strict action against those spreading false information on social media.
image source, Getty Images
In Namakkal district, a woman who had gone to herd goats was found dead in a thorn bush with her clothes torn and bloody wounds on her face and neck. It is suspected that she was raped and killed.
A 17-year-old boy was arrested and jailed by the police following a complaint filed by her husband.
Apart from this, 6 people have been arrested for setting fire to their cottages on the suspicion that the North State workers living nearby may have done this.
what happened?
Vivekanandan (age 35) hails from Karapalayam village near Jedarpalayam in Namakkal district. He has a wife Nitya (age 27) and two daughters who works as an agricultural labourer.
On the 11th, Nitya, who had gone to graze goats, was found dead in a thorn bush near the well. Her husband Vivekanandan, who came looking for her missing, was shocked and rushed her to the government hospital, hoping that she might be alive. But the doctors said that he was already dead.
After this, Nitya’s body was taken to Namakkal Government Medical College Hospital for post-mortem examination.
At the Jaderpalayam police station, Nithya’s husband and relatives filed a complaint that the villagers were from the northern state and had raped and killed Nithya.
They also staged a picket protest in front of the hospital claiming that the police did not take action against the North State man. After this, Namakkal District Deputy Superintendent of Police Suresh came and pacified them and made them abandon the protest.
Bhupathi, the brother of Nithya’s murdered husband, spoke to the media
“My younger brother Vivekanandan and his wife Nitya (28) have two children aged three and seven. There is a pond near our farm. North Indians who stay at the nearby millet come to fish in this pond. We often chase them away from fishing.
On the 11th, the younger brother’s wife Nithiya took the goats to pasture at two in the afternoon. At around 4.45 pm, the goats that were taken for grazing came home. My younger brother Vivekanandan went near the pond and searched. A sandal, a cell phone cover, a cup and a knife are lying nearby.
They dragged her 450 feet from the stream into a thorn, raped her and killed her by putting a rope around her neck. The culprit should be punished. We informed the police that the North State workers were involved in this murder. There are 15 mills around. We told the police that the North State workers there were under the influence of ganja, came to the pond to catch fish and cut trees,” he said.
When Nithya’s husband Vivekanandan speaks
“Even after the goats came home, I suspected that the wife did not come home and went to the forest. There the wife was lying in a state of disarray. We immediately brought her to the government hospital. But she died.
We told the police that this was done entirely by North State workers. But the police are questioning our family. He said he was not interested in questioning the northerners.
He also said that he cannot buy the body until he gets justice.
The post-mortem revealed that the deceased woman had been sexually assaulted and strangled with a rope, the police said.
The boy was arrested
On the recommendation of Namakkal District Superintendent of Police Kalaichelvan, three special teams consisting of Inspectors Indrani, Suresh and Ravichandran were formed under the leadership of Paramathivellur Deputy Superintendent of Police Kalaiyarasan and an investigation was conducted in this regard.
The police arrested a 17-year-old boy from Karur district on the 13th in this connection. During the investigation, the boy told the police that he had come from Karur district for sugarcane cutting work, and when he saw Nitya, he got angry, so he planned to rape and kill Nithya in the goat grazing area when no one was around, police said.
The boy showed the police where he had buried Nitya’s cell phone in the soil. He also pretended to the police about how he committed the murder. After that the boy was taken to Jaderpalayam police jail.
But, the people of the village accuse that the boy would not have done this. Meanwhile, some unidentified people set fire to the huts in Saralaimedu area near Jaderpalayam, where they set a hut in the premises of the jaggery manufacturing plant.
Mysterious incidents
The miscreants also set fire to the cottages of V. Puthupalayam (50) Sathasivam (50) from V. Puthupalayam near Jaderpalayam, where a man from Uttar Pradesh was staying. DIG Rajeshwari, Namakkal District Superintendent of Police Kalaich Selvan, Paramathi Vellore DSP Kalai Yarasan and the police personally investigated and conducted an investigation into the incident.
The police suspected a connection between the arson incident and Nitya’s death.
Subsequently, the police caught people who were roaming around suspiciously in the car in the early morning of the 16th and conducted intensive investigation. They admitted setting fire to the jaggery factory shed and cottages. Subsequently, the Jaderpalayam police arrested 6 people who came in a car, namely Thanasekaran (28), Tamilarasan (26), Suthan (25), Prabhu (37), Sanmu Kasundaram (43) and Prakash (29) from Karaipalayam area. The car has been impounded and the visa raid is ongoing.
District Superintendent of Police Kalaichelvan spoke about this
Only a 17-year-old boy from Tamil Nadu has been arrested and imprisoned in Nithya’s murder case. Northerners have nothing to do with this murder. The investigation revealed that only the boy was involved in the murder. He said that we have made it clear to Nitya’s family that people from the North are not involved in this matter. He said that 6 people have been arrested for burning the huts of the people of the northern state, who may be involved in Nithya’s murder.
On the 21st, more than ten cottages and three tractors were set on fire by the people of North State at Saralaimedu Wella Mill.
Palaniswami, who was running a factory shed in Titumal Road area, set fire to his house.
The police are investigating the incident of petrol bomb hurling at a house in Vadakaraiyathur and are trying to arrest those involved.
The subsequent incidents created tension in the area. Following this, a peace talk was held on the 22nd between the two parties belonging to the villages of Vadakaraiyathur and V. Karaipalayam in Jedarpalayam. District Collector Shreya Singh presided. Superintendent of Police Kalaichelvan presided.
“Some people are misusing the unusual situation in this area to create unnecessary incidents. To avoid this, all the villagers should cooperate fully. The district administration will provide the necessary security to the villagers. Strict action will be taken against those who spread false information on social media,” said the District Collector. Shreya Singh.
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