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5 men held for murder of family of 3 in Chennai
Five men were arrested in Chennai for the alleged murder of a Bihar family, including a child, amid rising concerns over public safety.
Five men suspected of allegedly murdering a family of three from Bihar in Chennai were arrested on Wednesday, police officers familiar with the matter said.
The victims were a man, his wife and their two-year-old son, said police.
The men were identified as Sikander (33), Ravindranath(45), Narendra Kumar (45) and R Vikas (24), said a police officer involved in the investigation, adding that the body of the child was found in Madhyakailash area near Adyar on Wednesday. All the accused are also from Bihar.
The father’s body was found stuffed into a gunny bag lying on the roadside in Adyar on Monday, added the officer.
Police were yet to establish the motive behind the three murders, added the officer.
Investigators analysed CCTV footage in the area on Sunday night, which showed two men on a two-wheeler dumping the gunny bag at the spot, said the officer, adding that police suspect that the body of the woman was in another locality and have zeroed in on Perungudi. “The victim and his family had recently moved into Chennai,” a second officer said.
“From the preliminary enquiries with the accused, it seems that there is sexual assault. When they tried to rape the woman, her husband tried to stop the gang and they killed him, the woman and the child,” the second officer said.
Even as the assembly elections approach, the state opposition on Wednesday attacked the government over the incident, citing it as an example of failing law and order.
AIADMK chief and chief ministerial candidate for the NDA, Edappadi Palaniswami (EPS) said, “A mob, frenzied in drunken rage, is said to have raped and killed the man’s wife, murdered him when he tried to intervene, and then gone on to smash their 2-year-old child to death on the ground—this is the height of brutality… I also fiercely condemn the DMK government, which is running a lawless, utterly deplorable regime where no one feels safe.”
“It is deeply distressing that such a heinous crime could occur in the heart of Chennai, raising serious questions about public safety and the state of law and order under this corrupt DMK Govt,” said former BJP state president K Annamalai. “This horrific incident stands as a grim reflection of the growing lawlessness in the state under the corrupt DMK government, where even the most basic right to life and safety appears to be eroding even in the capital city of the State.”
The DMK did not respond to the allegations. “It’s unfortunate that such a crime has happened. The police are investigating and have already arrested the accused. Swift action as per and law will be taken against them,” said a DMK leader, refusing to be named.
