Four persons, including a former panchayat president, were arrested on Friday for allegedly murdering a 30-year-old man in a revenge attack near Thanjavur.
The police identified the accused as Punniyamoorthy, 53, a former panchayat president of Alangudi, and his associates Lokesh, 22, Ramalingam, 30, and Karuppaiah, 55. They allegedly killed Ajithkumar, 30, a painter from Melakalakudi, in the early hours of Friday.
According to the police, Ajithkumar had been arrested last year for the murder of Kaviya, 26, Punniyamoorthy’s daughter, who was working as a temporary teacher at a government Adi Dravidar Primary School in Alangudi. The two had been in a relationship for over a decade. However, Kaviya’s family opposed their marriage and arranged her engagement to a relative.
The police said Ajithkumar, angered by the development, allegedly intercepted Kaviya on her way to school on November 27, 2025, and killed her. He was arrested and later released on bail last month.
Seeking revenge, Punniyamoorthy and his associates allegedly entered Ajithkumar’s house around 2 a.m. on Friday and attacked him with sickles while he was asleep. Ajithkumar died on the spot.
