Man gets death sentence for committing triple murder in 2016

TENKASI: A 36-year-old man, who was found guilty of committing a triple murder in 2016, has been awarded death sentence by the Tenkasi additional district court on Friday.

The accused, N Muthuraj alias Andavar of Nettur village near

Alangulam

in Tenkasi district murdered

M Pechithaye

, 48, her daughter M Mari, 19, and Pechithaye’s father, Govindasamy, 75, on February 16, 2016.

Additional public prosecutor (APP) S Ramachandran told TOI that Muthuraj, a rowdy element had many cases registered against him. He was in jail in connection with another case and was released only about a week before he committed the brutal murders.

According to him, on February 12, 2016, Muthuraj tried to misbehave with the 21-year-old eldest daughter of Pechithaye. The latter lodged a complaint with the Alangulam DSP. On February 16, at around 3.45pm, when Pechithaye and a few other women who are fellow workers under the Mahatma Gandhi national rural employment guarantee scheme, were returning home on the Thenvadal main road, Muthuraj picked up a quarrel with her for lodging the police complaint.

He then attacked her with a machete resulting in her death. “He also attacked Pechithaye’s younger daughter Mari when she tried to protect her mother. Not content, he went to the village and murdered Govindasamy, who was grazing his cattle, by attacking him multiple times with the machete,” Ramachandran said.

The Alangulam police registered a case under sections 302 (punishment for murder), 341 (punishment for wrongful restraint) and 506(ii) (criminal intimidation) of the

Indian Penal Code

and the case was tried before the Tenkasi additional district court. “Though there were many eyewitnesses, some women turned hostile as the accused threatened them in the court,” Ramachandran said.

However, Pechithaye’s brother Murugan, 25, and his friend Govindasamy testified against Muthuraj. On completion of trial, additional district judge

C Vijayakumar

awarded him death sentence for the triple murder and two years and one month imprisonment for the other sections under which he was booked.