Youth killed over stalking, hunt on for girl’s dad, uncles

Madurai: A youth was brutally murdered in Tuticorin on Wednesday evening after he allegedly harassed a college girl pressurising her to return his love. SIPCOT police in Tuticorin are searching for a ten-member gang including the girl’s father and uncles believed to have been involved in the murder.

Police said the deceased, S Sachin, 24, of Mattakadai bazar in Tuticorin, was in love with a girl from the same locality studying in a college in Tirunelveli. Though she rejected his overtures Sachin kept pestering her relentlessly. Unable to take his torture anymore, the girl told her father, S Billa Jegan, 43, a former DMK youth wing organiser and businessman. He warned the boy sternly against tailing his daughter but the youngster apparently picked up a quarrel stating that he will win her over at any cost.

Irked, Billa Jegan filed a complaint against him with Tuticorin north police station but it is said that Jegan was upset after police were taking their own time to deal with his complaint.

Along with his brothers, Simanson, Klevington and Suman and accomplices Billa Jegan allegedly abducted Sachin while he was walking near Second Railway Gate area around 6 pm on Wednesday evening.

The gang took the boy to Billa Jegan’s office at Muthammal colony where they beat him black and blue. After curious public started gathering, the gang took the boy in the vehicle again and stabbed him nearly 14 times inside it killing him. After mutilating the dead body, the gang discarded it 14 kms away from the city near Jothi Nagar in SIPCOT police limits.

SIPCOT police recovered the dead body and sent it for postmortem. Tuticorin SP Ashwin P Kotnis inspected the spot and carried out investigation. Police are looking out for Billa Jegan, his brothers and his accomplices, Baskar, Karthik, Tiruchitrambalam and three more whose identity is yet to be ascertained. The gang is absconding.