Madurai: A youth from Uthangudi was found dead near St Mary's church junction. He was murdered in broad daylight on Sunday by members of an unidentified gang. His friend escaped with injuries and is undergoing treatment at a government hospital.
The deceased boy has been identified as B Muruganantham, 22-year-old from Solaiappan Nagar.
The youth was last seen walking near the church on Sunday evening along with friend Muniaswamy when a gang of boys came in a vehicle and intercepted the two. The gang chased Muruganantham and attacked him. After he died, they decapitated his head and placed it in front of the church.
Muniaswamy was taken to the government hospital.
DCP R Shiva Prasad visited the spot to conduct an inquiry. The body was sent for autopsy at the same hospital. As the incident occurred in a busy junction, it created panic in nearby areas.
Meanwhile, a car abandoned with sharp weapons was retrieved on Bypass Road.
The police officials are yet to get any shred of evidence about the murder to ascertain if there is a motive behind the killing. Teams have been formed to trace suspects.
A case was registered at the Keerathurai police station.
Three persons, including a suspect, who is alleged to have been captured in a camera while beheading the boy has been arrested by the Madurai police.
Police are probing if Muruganantham had any personal enmity with anyone. It is believed that he had earned the wrath of a few people during the local body elections where he was elected unopposed.
Initially, police had suspected the involvement of former village panchayat president Thirupathi and village secretary Palpandi, for which they were questioned. However, the police teams are still on a lookout at various angles of the story with little progress in solving the case at the moment.