Man, 21, arrested for murdering woman, 52, over relationship

Sivaganga: A 21-year-old man was arrested for murdering a 52-year-old woman, who went missing a few days ago in Sivaganga district.The accused, identified as Saravanakumar from Koodakovil of Madurai district, and the victim, Saraswathi, a resident of Sottathatti village, went missing in Feb. Based on complaint filed by her brother, Niraikulathan, on Feb 17, Thiruppuvanam police registered a case and started an investigation.According to police sources, during investigation, it was revealed that Saravanakumar was in a relationship with Saraswathi. During interrogation, the accused revealed that he invited Saraswathi to his farm in Koodakovil on Feb 11.A wordy quarrel regarding a dispute over marriage ensued between the two, during which Saravanakumar allegedly assaulted and killed her.To conceal the crime, the accused dumped the body into a nearby deep quarry pit filled with water.After more than a month, police zeroed in on Saravanakumar and arrested him on Tuesday.Since the quarry pit was very deep, a diving team from Chennai has been called to recover the body. Police also identified the crime scene and recovered the weapon used for the murder.Following the confession and recovery of evidence, police altered the case to a murder investigation.Saravanakumar is being remanded in judicial custody. As the crime incident happened within the limits of Madurai district, Thiruppuvanam police are in the process of transferring the case to Madurai district police for further investigation and legal proceedings.