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Tamil Nadu: LIC staffer arrested for killing senior who was investigating irregularities
A 46-year-old Life Insurance Corporation (LIC) administrative officer was arrested in Madurai for allegedly killing his 54-year-old senior manager to evade a probe into irregularities in insurance cases he handled
Police arrested a 46-year-old Life Insurance Corporation (LIC) administrative officer in Madurai for allegedly killing his 54-year-old senior manager to evade a probe into irregularities in insurance cases he handled, officers said on Wednesday.
Earlier, authorities believed a fire at an LIC office in Madurai on December 17, 2025, had claimed the life of senior branch manager Kalyani Nambi. Police now suspect the accused D Ram murdered her by setting her ablaze.
Nambi died in the blaze while Ram sustained burn injuries and was hospitalised.
“He was trying to escape when the victim found irregularities related to a few insurance cases that he was handling,” said a senior police officer. “That seems to be the motive.”
The fire broke out at night when Nambi and Ram were alone in the office, where he was working to clear long-pending cases. Ram allegedly doused her and the documents in petrol, destroyed files, locked her cabin from outside, and fled, police said.
Madurai city police filed a case and, during investigations, found plastic water bottles inside the building. They examined CCTV footage from the office and nearby areas, which showed Ram running out before locals rescued him and rushed him to the hospital.
On the day of the incident, Ram was burning petrol-doused documents when Nambi saw him and called her son in panic, prompting him to pour petrol on her and escape, police added.
The victim’s son told police his mother had phoned him minutes before the fire, fuelling suspicions it was no accident, an officer said.
Ram, who suffered leg burns, gave inconsistent responses when questioned at the hospital.
According to a PTI report, Ram confessed after two days of questioning that Nambi—transferred from Tirunelveli in May last year on promotion—had probed document irregularities linked to him over the past few months of his 1.5-year tenure at the branch.
