A 54-year-old man from a village near Anamalai in Coimbatore district hacked his brother to death on Sunday evening. A. Ragupathyram of Somanathapuram near Kaliyapuram in Anamalai murdered his brother A. Thirumurthy, 46, alias Senthil of the same locality.
The police said Ragupathyram had been doing daily wage works for a living and Thirumurthy was a tractor driver. Their mother, who had been residing with Ragupathyram, moved to the residence of her third son A. Ponram recently.
According to the police, Mr. Ponram’s wife Sudha went to Ragupathyram’s residence around 5 p.m. on Sunday to collect her mother-in-law’s medicines. Ragupathyram, whose wife left him a year ago due to family issues, was under the influence of alcohol and reportedly lied to Ms. Sudha that he consumed poison. Thirumurthy and Ragupathyram’s son-in-law Ranjith rushed to the spot after being alerted by Ms. Sudha. They made him drink a home remedy to induce vomiting, said the police.
After giving the first aid, Thirumurthy scolded Ragupathyram, believing that he indeed consumed poison. Ragupathyram got enraged and hacked him with a sickle. Thirumurthy suffered grievous injuries and died on the spot, said the police.
An officer attached to the Anamalai police station said Ragupathyram was admitted to the Coimbatore Medical College Hospital, where his condition was normal as of Monday evening.
