Gang rivalry leads to twin murders in Kovilpatti, nine arrested
Tuticorin: Two murders, believed to be retaliatory in nature, took place within a span of 30 minutes on Sunday night in a shocking escalation of violence at Kovilpatti in Tuticorin district.
The murders sent shockwaves in the region.
According to police sources, A Pragadheeswaran, 20, of Valluvar Nagar, was hacked to death near a Tasmac shop on Kadalaiyur Road. He had reportedly engaged in a heated argument with a group of men before being brutally attacked. The assailants, believed to be from a rival faction, fled the scene immediately after the murder.
Less than half an hour later, a gang believed to be aligned with Pragadheeswaran retaliated by storming the residence of B Kasthuri, 50, at Shenbaga Nagar in Pudhugramam, and hacked her to death.
Kasthuri, who died on the spot, was the mother of B Sathish, 22—one of the alleged attackers involved in the earlier incident. Her brother, S Shenbagaraj, who attempted to intervene, sustained injuries in the attack and was admitted to Kovilpatti govt hospital.
The Kovilpatti East police rushed to both crime scenes, recovered the bodies, and sent them for postmortem. As a precautionary measure, Pragadheeswaran's body was sent to Virudhunagar Government Medical College Hospital, while Kasthuri's was taken to Tirunelveli Government Medical College Hospital.
by Taboola
by Taboola
Sponsored Links
Sponsored Links
Promoted Links
Promoted Links
You May Like
Free P2,000 GCash eGift
UnionBank Credit Card
Apply Now
Undo
Preliminary investigations suggest that long-standing enmity between the two families led to the murders. Police revealed that Pragadheeswaran had a prior conflict with Sathish over damage to a wedding banner. On Sunday night, Sathish and his friends allegedly carried out the attack on Pragadheeswaran. In retaliation, Kasthuri was murdered at her home.
Tuticorin superintendent of police, Albert John, confirmed that nine suspects have been taken into custody in connection with the double murder.
"A force of 90 police under additional SP oversaw vulnerable areas. DSP Kovilpatti and team secured four accused within minutes of the incidents. This prevented murders from escalating into a law and order concern," he added.
Further investigation is underway.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Time of India
22 minutes ago
- Time of India
Jonathan Joss killed in hate crime? Husband claims killer used slur as actor lay dying
Jonathan Joss The husband of murdered King of the Hill actor Jonathan Joss says the man who shot him stood over the dying star, laughed, and delivered a slur. Joss, 59, was gunned down Sunday night near his home in San Antonio, Texas, in what his spouse, Tristan Kern de Gonzales, believes was a hate-motivated attack by a homophobic neighbor after years of harassment. 'Everything was really close range. It was in the head,' Kern de Gonzales told The Independent. 'I held his face together while I told him how much I loved him. He could still hear me… I could tell he was trying to say, 'I love you.'' Kern de Gonzales claimed that the killers words while Joss was dying included homophobic slur. During the confrontation, he recounted the assailant's threatening behaviour while holding him at gunpoint. The attacker mockingly said, "'Oh, you love him? Joto,'" as per Kern de Gonzales's account. He further clarified, "' Joto' is Spanish for f****t. I never knew the word until I came to Texas, and then I heard it a lot." The accused shooter, identified as 52-year-old Sigfredo Ceja Alvarez, was arrested near the scene and has been charged with first-degree murder. According to the San Antonio Police Department (SAPD), Ceja admitted to the shooting, stating simply, 'I shot him.' However, in a statement released Monday, SAPD said investigators had found 'no evidence to indicate that… Mr. by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like Te asiguri cu NN, ai teste genetice cadou. Asigurarea de Sănătate NN Aplică acum Undo Joss' murder was related to his sexual orientation.' 'We take such allegations very seriously and have thoroughly reviewed all available information,' the department added. 'Should any new evidence come to light, we will charge the suspect accordingly.' Read more: Jonathan Joss was not murdered because he was gay, says San Antonio police, refuting husband's claim Additionally, SAPD records claim officers responded to more than 40 calls involving Joss in 2024, ranging from welfare checks to mental health concerns and neighbor disputes. Still, Kern de Gonzales insists his husband was not violent- only outspoken. Kern de Gonzales, identifying as transgender man, strongly disputed the department's stance. He alleged the couple had endured years of targeted hostility from Ceja, and says their repeated complaints were ignored by law enforcement. 'They ignored us, refused to file police reports for about two years [over the couple's complaints of harassment], and now they're trying to say it wasn't a hate crime,' he told The Independent. 'It's like when the police investigate themselves and find they did nothing wrong.' He also pointed to earlier, deeply unsettling events involving the suspect- including discovering their deceased dog's skull near their mailbox following a house fire this past winter. That detail does not appear in the SAPD incident report. According to Kern de Gonzales, the fatal confrontation began after Joss shouted at Ceja. The couple had stepped outside to check the mail when the alleged gunman approached with a weapon. 'I don't care if me and my husband were walking around with one pitchfork in our hand and another pitchfork up our a**, we didn't point any weapons at anybody,' he said. 'When the man rolled up with the gun, we were checking the mail.' Joss, who was of Native American descent, was best known for voicing John Redcorn on the long-running animated series King of the Hill. Beyond his work in entertainment, his husband says he was deeply spiritual and often chanted or drummed in the yard- acts that, he alleges, drew racial abuse from some in the neighborhood. 'I had never seen someone be accosted for being Native American,' said Kern de Gonzales. 'People would drive by and yell out the window, 'F***ing Indian. '' He added that Joss also faced ridicule for his appearance. 'Jonathan would be harassed for just being in his yard wearing a dress,' he said. 'When people would ask why he wore a dress, he would say, 'Because I have nice legs.' And he did. He looked beautiful in a dress. And I think a lot of people were threatened by that, because Jonathan could wear a dress and still be masculine and confident.'
Time of India
37 minutes ago
- Time of India
'Pain of tragedy has erased joy of victory': CM Siddaramaiah's first reaction on Bengaluru stampede that killed 11; magisterial probe ordered
NEW DELHI: Karnataka chief minister Siddaramaiah on Wednesday said the state government was deeply saddened by the stampede that claimed 11 lives and left 33 injured during Royal Challengers Bengaluru's IPL victory celebrations at Chinnaswamy Stadium. 'This tragedy should not have happened. The government expresses deep sorrow. Most of the deceased are youth,' Siddaramaiah said at a press conference in Bengaluru, flanked by deputy CM DK Shivakumar and home minister G Parameshwara. Siddaramaiah also said, "I don't want to defend this incident. Our government will not do politics on this. I have ordered a magisterial inquiry and given 15 days' time. People even broke the gates of the stadium. There was a stampede. No one expected such a huge crowd. The stadium has a capacity of only 35,000 people, but 2-3 lakh people came." The chief minister announced Rs 10 lakh compensation for the families of the deceased and promised free treatment for the injured. 'We shortened the programme and wrapped it up in 10 minutes. We are trying to make everything normal,' he said. In a post on X, Siddaramaiah wrote, 'The pain of this tragedy has even erased the joy of victory. by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like Council or Housing Association Tenant? Check Eligibility for Compensation National Disrepair Claims Undo May the souls of the deceased rest in peace, and may the injured recover soon. My condolences to the bereaved families. I appeal to the public to prioritise safety above everything else.' Massive crowd, chaos, and political firestorm The incident occurred after thousands of fans thronged the stadium area despite the government cancelling the team's roadshow for safety reasons. Fans tried to force their way in, causing a stampede at one of the gates. Ambulances were delayed due to overcrowded roads. Police have been on crowd control duty since Tuesday night. Mild lathi-charge was used earlier at Vidhana Soudha where the felicitation event was held. Opposition blames government BJP state president BY Vijayendra accused the government of poor planning and demanded a judicial probe, claiming 'more than 11 people' had died and that 'there was no police inside, no ambulance support.' BJP MLC Chalavadi Narayanaswamy termed the tragedy a 'security failure', saying authorities underestimated the crowd. AIMIM chief Asaduddin Owaisi called the incident 'heartbreaking' and urged accountability.
Time of India
an hour ago
- Time of India
Four arrested for Rs 35-lakh robbery in old Delhi's Chandni Chowk
New Delhi: Four people were arrested in connection with the robbery of Rs 35 lakh from a textile businessman's office in north Delhi's Chandni Chowk on Monday. Around noon on June 2, businessman Vicky Jain noticed three men approaching his office via the staircase while he and his staff were opening it, but they soon left. Around 2pm, two of them returned. When one of them lifted the office shutter, two staff members managed to go out and raised an alarm. Another staff member locked the glass gate from inside, but one of the robbers fired a shot, shattering the glass, and then kicked the gate open. Both robbers entered, and threatened the staff at gunpoint and fled with Rs 35 lakh. Deputy commissioner of police (north) Raja Banthia said that while reviewing CCTV footage, two of the three suspects were seen travelling in an auto near Old Delhi Railway Station. Tracking the auto, police reached Shahdara. Further CCTV footage revealed that the suspects travelled via Loni towards Baghpat. Shekhar was the first to be arrested at his home in Baghpat's Indira Colony. "Shekhar admitted to committing the robbery along with his associates Nikhil, Sahil and Tushar, and said his share of the loot, Rs 13 lakh, was in his possession," police said. Based on his statement, Nikhil was arrested from Baraut in Uttar Pradesh, and confessed to holding Rs 6.5 lakh from the stolen amount. by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like Trade Bitcoin & Ethereum – No Wallet Needed! IC Markets Start Now Undo Sahil was later arrested in Rohtak. Shekhar told police that he met Tushar through social media but did not know his residential address. A check of Tushar's profile showed he lived in a village near Kalanaur in Rohtak. Police found that Tushar was previously lodged in Tihar Jail alongside Shekhar's brother, Divansh. Tushar was arrested from his village, and the rest of the looted amount was recovered from him and Sahil. Police said Shekhar got to know about potential cash transaction offices in old Delhi from an acquaintance. After visiting the locations multiple times, he shared the information with his brother Divansh in Tihar Jail. Divansh introduced Shekhar to Tushar, a soon-to-be-released inmate, via social media. After Tushar's release, he and Shekhar planned the robbery with the two others. "As per the plan, the accused entered the office and committed the robbery. They fled to Baghpat, where they divided the loot. Nikhil and Shekhar then returned home while Tushar and Sahil headed to Rohtak," police said. Interrogation also revealed that Tushar was previously jailed in a robbery case in Dwarka while Sahil had an assault case registered in his village and Shekhar had a prior conviction under Arms Act.
