A 40- year old man belonging to a Scheduled Caste was hacked to death and beheaded near Veeravanallur in Tirunelveli district on Thursday. His younger son died after the car used by the assailants hit the victim’s bike.The police identified the murdered man as Kalimuthu of Moolachi village under Kallidaikurichi police station limits. He was travelling on a two-wheeler with his sons, K. Jeyaraj, 5 and K. Chinnathurai, 15, near Vallathu Nambikulam under Veeravanallur police jurisdiction.The police said Kalimuthu was allegedly intercepted and attacked by an armed gang which came in a car. The assailants attacked Kalimuthu with sharp-edged weapons, killing him on the spot, and severed his head before fleeing the scene.Preliminary investigation suggested that Kalimuthu’s son Jeyaraj died in the impact after the car allegedly rammed the two-wheeler. However, the exact cause of the death will be ascertained only after the post-mortem examination.Upon receiving the information, Veeravanallur police rushed to the spot, recovered the bodies and sent them for post-mortem examination at Tirunelveli Government Medical College Hospital.Police sources said no cut injuries were found on Jeyaraj’s body, though swelling was noticed on his head. Chinnathurai who reportedly sustained a fracture in the incident was admitted to the hospital for treatment.Preliminary investigations indicated that the assilants might be from Kalimuthu’s village and from the same community, sources added.Veeravanallur police have registered a case, and are investigating. Published - July 02, 2026 10:04 pm IST