Man murdered near Chennai over affair with married woman

CHENNAI: An extramarital affair ended in the murder of a 31-year-old man, whose leg was hacked off before he was gagged and force-fed pesticide by the woman’s relatives in a village in Chengalpet district. Police have arrested the woman’s father and her 17-year-old son in connection with the case.

The deceased, M Vijay, a mason from Thamaraikeni village near Sunambedu, was in a relationship with a married woman from the same village. After the woman’s family learned about the affair, her husband and father warned the two and asked them to end it. However, the relationship continued, police said.

Two days ago, Vijay went to the woman’s house. The woman’s family confronted and assaulted him. In the attack, Vijay’s left leg was severed. Police said the accused then gagged him, forced pesticide into his mouth and dumped the body in a nearby bush in an attempt to cover up the crime.

When Vijay did not return home that night, his relatives searched for him in several places. On Thursday night, police received information that a man’s body with a severed leg was lying in a bush near the village. The body was sent to the Chengalpet Government Hospital for postmortem.

Police registered a case and questioned seven members of the woman’s family, including her husband and father. During the inquiry, investigators found that the woman’s father, Devaraj, 60, and her 17-year-old son were involved. They were booked on charges of murder and arrested. Devaraj was remanded in judicial custody, while the juvenile was sent to an observation home.

Police are investigating whether other family members were also involved in the crime.