A Coimbatore-based lawyer and his wife, accused of murdering three clients to usurp property, were arrested from Kovalam in Kerala by the Tamil Nadu police last week. Police said that E T Rajavel hired contract killers to murder Ammasai, a middle-aged woman of Rathinapuri in Coimbatore, who had sought his help in a property dispute in 2011.
He committed the crime to make it look as if his wife Mohana had died. Mohana was involved in a Rs120mn fraud. He cremated the body of his client on the pretext that it was Mohana’s and even obtained a death certificate. The elaborate plan was hatched by the lawyer in order to save his wife from a multi-level marketing firm fraud.
However the matter came to light when Rajavel and Mohana tried to revoke the death certificate this year. They fled when police became suspicious but their accomplices were arrested. These men revealed that Rajavel had murdered another client, Visalakshmi, an old woman who owned 96 acres at Nanjundapuram in Coimbatore seven years ago for similar reasons. After the arrest the couple also confessed to murdering Manivel, a realtor.
Court upholds life sentence for ex-army officer
The Madras High Court has upheld the life imprisonment of K Ramaraj, a retired military officer convicted of shooting and killing 12-year-old boy Dilshan in 2011.
Ramaraj was tried and sentenced by a fast track court in April 2012.
Dilshan and two friends were shot at for stealing almonds from a tree inside an army officers’ enclave at Indira Nagar in Chennai. Ramaraj was found also guilty of using a gun whose licence had expired.
The court said: “Adam ate the forbidden fruit and was expelled from heaven. Dilshan, a lad of 12, yearned for almonds and was expelled from earth.”
Students detained after protests
More than 300 students including 100 girls of the Madurai Kamaraj University were arrested for staging an eight-day strike last week. The students were protesting against the university’s decision to dismiss three students including a physically challenged girl. Some staff members also joined the strike.
At first the college administration suspended classes, evicted the hostel inmates and stopped electricity, water and food. However the protests intensified and the students set up a community kitchen and slept on the grounds with their baggage.
The police detained the students for a day before releasing them.
DMDK leader quits politics
Panruti S Ramachandran, a member of the legislative assembly representing Alandur and chairman of actor/politician Vijaykanth’s DMDK party resigned from active politics citing health reasons last week.
Ramachandran guided Vijaykanth’s entry into politics in 2005 and set up an alliance with AIADMK leader Jayaram Jayalalithaa for the 2011 assembly polls.
Ramachandran’s advice worked and Vijaykanth’s party won 29 seats of the 41 and was elected the leader of opposition in Tamil Nadu. However some months later Vijaykanth and Jayalalithaa parted ways over political differences. This also created a rift between Ramachandran and Vijaykanth.
Ramachandran was electricity minister when M G Ramachandran was the chief minister rule and joined the DMDK in 2005.
Sports minister is replaced
Chief Minister Jayaram Jayalalithaa has replaced Tamil Nadu sports minister K V Ramalingam with R B Udhayakumar, in the latest cabinet reshuffle.
Interestingly Ramalingam had taken charge only a month ago.
