Couple arrested for murdering friend, burying body on coconut farm in Pollachi

Coimbatore: A husband-wife duo were arrested on Saturday for murdering their friend and burying his body on a coconut farm at Kaliyapuram near Anamalai in Pollachi a few days ago.The Anamalai police identified the accused duo as M Chandran, 50, of Narikkalpathi, and his wife C Kaleeswari, 48. Labourers in a coconut plantation owned by Kathirvel, the duo were nabbed in connection with the murder of Karuppusamy, 44, a resident of Eliyarpathi. "Karuppusamy was looking for work and had sought help from his long-time friend Chandran to find a job. On Tuesday night, Karuppusamy visited the couple at their workplace, where he consumed liquor with Chandran. The situation turned violent when Karuppusamy tried to misbehave with Kaleeswari in an inebriated state," a police officer said. Angered by his behaviour, Chandran picked up a wooden log and assaulted him, causing him to collapse on the spot. "Karuppusamy succumbed to his injuries and the couple dragged the body about 30 metres from their quarters and buried it under a coconut tree," the officer said. The crime came to light on Saturday, when other labourers engaged in irrigation work felt a foul smell in the area. They alerted the plantation owner, who called the Anamalai police. After a brief investigation, police recovered the body and sent it for postmortem. The couple confessed to the crime during interrogation. They were booked for murder, arrested and produced before a judicial magistrate, who remanded them in judicial custody.