Nellai, Tuticorin log 13 murders in a week

Madurai: Tirunelveli and Tuticorin districts are once again in the news for all the wrong reasons. Thirteen murders were recorded from both the places in a single week with most of the victims being married women, who were killed over alleged illicit affairs.
Naveenkumar of Kulasekarapattinam in Tuticorin district surrendered before the court after murdering his wife Raja Pushpam, 26, on July 2.He told police that he killed his wife after growing suspicious about her fidelity. Abdulla, 20, of Pudugramam in Kovilpatt, Tuticorin, who was an engineering college student, was murdered under mysterious circumstances on the same day. A 55-year-old woman, Annal, wife of John of Palayapettai in Tirunelveli district was found dead in her house on July 2. Twelve sovereigns of gold jewellery were also missing. On the same day, Thangathurai, 64, of Keelapavoor in Tirunelveli, was allegedly hacked to death by his son Lakshmanan, 24, because he refused to give him money for booze.
On July 4, Sornam, 19, wife of Nagaraj of Mathalamparai in Tenkasi was found dead at a farm house near the tourist destination of Courtallum. A temple watchman, Muthu, 69, was murdered by a gang, which entered the Sudalai temple in Arumugamangalam, on the same day.
Some of the murders were gruesome. The charred body of a man was found in the jungle near Kulathor Vaipar on July 5. The charred body of Janaki, 38, wife of Rajendran of Kumaran Nagar in Tuticorin, was found on July7 near her home.
Kalian alias Ramachandran, a rowdy, was murdered in Sankarankoil in Tirunelveli district on July 5 when he was riding a two-wheeler. The next day, Ajitha Jesu, 26, was allegedly killed by her husband Anthony Rajeshkumar, who pushed her off the terrace because he suspected her fidelity, police said.
On July 7, Murugan, 32, a lorry driver from Periyasamy Nagar in Tuticorin allegedly hacked his wife Satya, 23, in front of their five-year-old son. On the same day, A Chitra, 24, wife of Lakshmanan of Palayamkottai was arrested for murdering her three-year-old son, with the help of her paramour Ayyadurai in Tuticorin. On July 8, Mala, 22, of Melamoondradaippu in Tirunelveli, a college student, was murdered by her brother Krishnaraj, because he did not approve of her relationship with a man, police said.
Eight of the 13 victims were women with one being a three-year-old boy. Except in one case, all women were murdered over alleged affairs.
Psychologist Rani Chakkaravarthy blames movies and television shows for showing murder as the solution to problems. Illicit affairs are on the rise, mainly due to the modern communication techniques, she told TOI.
"I get not less than 10 cases for counselling every month, where the use of cellphones and social media, are the root of the problem. There is a decline in social and family values and people should work on their relationships," she said.