The police, on Wednesday, arrested the prime accused in the gruesome killings of four farm workers and a 10-year-old girl at a sugarcane field in Harale village near Kollegal.
Murugesh (47), an acquaintance of Rajendra, a labour contractor who was murdered along with four others when they were sleeping in makeshift tents early on Tuesday, was nabbed on Nala Road on the Karnataka-Tamil Nadu border.
Chamarajanagar Superintendent of Police, Rangaswamy Naik, confirmed to The Hindu that Murugesh, a native of Tamil Nadu, had been arrested and a search was on for the other accused.
Mr. Naik said Murugesh was wanted in other murder cases in Tamil Nadu and the police were on the lookout for him for the last three years. According to the police, Murugesh was reportedly chastised by Rajamma and Shivamma, who were also killed, when he approached them to have an illicit relationship. Rajendra, who was in a relationship with Rajamma, had objected to his act and warned him. “Despite being an associate, Murugesh had been nurturing a grudge against Rajendra. One of the farm workers had threatened Murugesh about informing his criminal past to the local police if he did not mend his ways. Rajendra had also warned Murugesh on these lines,” Mr. Naik said.
Annoyed by this, Murugesh and another worker hacked all the five to death, the SP said.
