Salem/Kochi ∙ A native of Salem Mettur has been taken into custody by the police in the incident where two Malayalees were found dead in Dharmapuri, Tamil Nadu. Dharmapuri district police chief Kalaiselvan said that it is suspected that transactions related to the sale of iridium led to the murder. The Tamil Nadu police is also investigating the murder in Kerala. Following the information received from a resident of Salem Mettur who was taken into custody, the investigation team went to the house of the murdered Ernakulam resident and collected the information.
Sivakumar (50) of Ernakulam Varappuzha Waliyaveet and Neville G. Cruise (58) of Kunnukuzhi Shine Villa, Thiruvananthapuram were found dead on the roadside near Periyalli forest on the morning of the 19th. Sivakumar had filed a complaint to the Chief Minister a month ago stating that some people had threatened him. The complaint said that two people from Thiruvananthapuram reached the hotel in Salem and threatened them. There are indications that those who threatened were policemen.
He threatened to come to his home in Varapuzha and kill him if he did not return the money he had bought from someone in Thiruvananthapuram. The complaint also states that they seized the passport. Then the Varapuzha police took a statement. It is indicated that Sivakumar has bought lakhs from many people saying that he can get double profit by shipping the antiquities including to Malaysia. Sivakumar’s funeral will be held on Thursday morning at 9 am at his home in Varapuzha Tundumkadu and Neville’s funeral will be held on Thursday morning at 10 am at Patur Cemetery, Thiruvananthapuram.
The Dharmapuri police believe that the group that came to sell or buy iridium kidnapped and killed both of them. The police recovered the mobile phones from the abandoned car and recovered the deleted information. Those arrested recently in Chennai and Coimbatore in connection with the iridium scam will be questioned on Thursday. The police have got the CCTV footage of Neville and Shivakumar leaving the lodge near Salem New Bus Stand and going in the car 3 hours before they were killed. Neville’s relatives said that the police have not handed over any significant information about the incident and have informed that the Tamil Nadu police will arrive for investigation.
∙ Iridium Scam: Middlemen in Kerala?
The information received by the investigation team is that there are middlemen of the gang in Kerala who extort money by believing that they will give iridium. The team started investigation focusing on Thrissur and Kochi. The information of the cases registered in Kerala is being collected. The fraud is based on the belief that if Iridium metal is kept in a special way at home, it will bring wealth. Lakhs of rupees are demanded. Iridium is being scammed into believing that it has great nuclear potential and can be sold to nuclear power plants with the help of the government.
English Summary: Kerala natives found dead Dharmapuri – Follow UP