Two hacked to death in Madurai, 8 held

Madurai: Two men were found dead with stab injuries near Nilaiyur in Madurai district on Saturday night in a fallout of a drunken brawl. Police secured eight people in this connection on Sunday.Police said that around 7am on Sunday, police received information that two unidentified bodies were lying on the roadside near Vannamparai at Nilaiyur. On recovering the bodies, police noticed stab and hack injuries on both of them, which were lying 500 metres apart. Forensic experts collected evidence, and police sent the bodies to Govt Rajaji Hospital for autopsy.Austinpatti police registered an accident case as one of the bodies was run over by a vehicle, and started investigation. The deceased were identified as Moundhan, 28, of Thanichiyam, and Padmanaban, 20, of Harveypatti. Further investigation led to the securing of eight people, including Azhagu Sethupathi of Nilaiyur. Police said Moundhan and Azhagu Sethupathi were history-sheeters with several pending cases against them.Police said Sethupathi confessed to the crime and stated that a few days ago, a verbal spat erupted between him and Moundhan in an inebriated state near Thuvariman. Enraged over this, Sethupathi hatched a plot and called Moundhan to discuss the matter.Moundhan, along with Padmanaban, came on a two-wheeler around 11.45pm on Saturday. When they arrived near Vannamparai, the gang, along with Alagu Sethupathi, confronted Moundhan. A verbal altercation ensued, which escalated into a violent clash, leading to the hacking and stabbing of the duo with knives and sickles. Police secured Azhagu Sethupathi along with seven others involved in the incident.