Youth murdered and buried near Ramanathapuram; villagers block NH

Traffic along the Madurai-Rameswaram National Highway was paralysed for two hours on Friday as hundreds of villagers staged a road blockade at Valantharavai, demanding the immediate arrest of all individuals involved in the murder and burial of a 26-year-old person.

The protests followed the discovery of the body of M. Prem Kumar, from Valantharavai Thekkoor. After he went missing, his father lodged a formal complaint with the Kenikarai police on October 6, prompting a police investigation. A special team subsequently detained and interrogated 38-year-old Kalidas of Thuthivalasai near Uchipuli.

According to police, Prem Kumar, an employee of a private finance firm, had approached Kalidas to collect overdue loan instalments. An argument reportedly ensued after Prem Kumar allegedly used abusive language toward Kalidas and his family over the defaulted payment.

Police revealed that Kalidas lured Prem Kumar to the Thoppuvalasai beach near Uchipuli under the guise of settling the dues. Once there, Kalidas allegedly hacked him to death with a sickle and buried the corpse in the sand.

Acting on the confession, police exhumed the remains on Thursday morning and transferred them to the Ramanathapuram Government Medical College Hospital for a post-mortem examination.

Unconvinced that all culprits had been apprehended, relatives and residents of Valantharavai Thekkoor launched a flash protest, blocking the highway at Valantharavai bus stop. The blockade stranded over a hundred vehicles on both directions, forcing authorities to divert Rameswaram-bound traffic via Regunathapuram.

District Superintendent of Police G. Chandeesh and officials rushed to the spot to hold talks with the agitated crowd. When the protesters refused to disperse or lift the blockade, Kenikarai police detained over 100 individuals to restore normalcy.