Three persons have been arrested in connection with the gruesome murder of a migrant worker from Bihar, his wife, and their two-year-old son, and the investigation has revealed a chilling tale of sexual assault and the killings, a police official said on Thursday.
Key Points
- A migrant worker from Bihar, his wife, and their two-year-old son were murdered in Chennai.
- Police investigation suggests the wife was sexually assaulted before being killed.
- Three suspects, also migrant workers from Bihar, have been arrested.
- The father's body was found in a sack, and the child's body was recovered from a canal.
- Political leaders in Tamil Nadu have reacted strongly to the incident.
Discovery and identification
The investigation began following the discovery of a body in a gunny bag on January 26.
According to the police, the victims have been identified as Gaurav Kumar (24), a native of Nalanda district in Bihar, his wife Minukumari (22), and their son Birmani Kumar. Kumar, who had previously worked as a security guard in nearby Sriperumbudur, had recently returned to Chennai with his family in search of better employment.
They were staying in Taramani area with acquaintances. On the night of January 25, a group of men -- also migrant workers from Bihar -- allegedly consumed alcohol with Kumar. During the session, the accused reportedly attempted to sexually assault Minukumari. When Kumar resisted, the gang attacked him with iron rods, killing him on the spot. To eliminate witnesses, they subsequently murdered the woman and the toddler.
Investigation and recovery of bodies
The crime came to light on January 26 when Kumar's body was found abandoned in a sack on a road in the upscale Adyar neighbourhood in south Chennai.
During interrogation, the suspects confessed to the crime, the police said. Following their leads, the police recovered the body of the child from the Buckingham Canal near Madhya Kailash in Adyar on Wednesday.
While the bodies of the father and son have been sent for post-mortem at the Government Royapettah Hospital, a massive search operation is still underway to locate the woman's body, which suspects claim was dumped in a large garbage bin near the Indira Nagar MRTS station nearby.
Political reaction
The incident has triggered a sharp political reaction in Tamil Nadu.
AIADMK chief and Tamil Nadu Leader of Opposition Edappadi K Palaniswami and BJP State President K Annamalai have slammed the DMK-led government over the "deteriorating" law and order situation.
DMK MP Kanimozhi expressed deep shock over the incident, terming it "heinous" and assured that the perpetrators would face the harshest punishment.
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