Held for fatally knocking down fruit seller

The police have arrested a youth for allegedly fatally knocking down another fruit seller.

They said S. Muthupandi, 32, a guava seller from Vedapatti near Vilaaththikulam in Thoothukudi district, used to sell fruits from a roadside makeshift structure on Kovilpatti-Pasuvanthanai Road after buying fruits from nearby farms. In view of the lockdown, he had to return to his native place after abandoning the roadside structure. When the lockdown was lifted, he returned a few weeks ago to the spot where he was selling guava only to find O. Pasupathi Pandi, 19, of Therkku Thittankulam near Kovilpatti selling fruits at the same place.

As Muthupandi told Pasupathi Pandi to find a new area to sell fruits since he was selling guava from that particular spot for the past few years, it triggered altercation between the duo. Upset over this, Muthupandi filed a complaint with Kovilpatti police station and the police asked Pasupathi Pandi to look for a new place to sell fruits.

Against this backdrop, Muthupandi was killed in a road accident near Ayyanarooththu close to Kayathar on Tuesday and the police registered a case of accidental death. However, Muthupandi’s wife Muthupetchi and her relatives filed a complaint with the police that her husband had been murdered by another fruit seller following prior enmity.

The police said Pasupathi Pandi, after closely following the daily activities of Muthupandi including his visits to farms to purchase guava, hired a cargo auto with which he fatally knocked down Muthupandi when he came to the orchard at Ayyanarooththu on Tuesday. As the grievously injured victim fell down from the bike, Pasupathi Pandi allegedly crushed Muthupandi again with the four-wheeler. Though Pasupathi Pandi wanted to show it as a case of hit-and-run, the badly damaged auto broke down on the spot forcing the culprit to flee from the spot after abandoning the vehicle. He was detained on Wednesday.

The Kayathar police are trying to establish the involvement of a few more people in the gruesome murder.

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