Chennai: Sex worker murders ex-boyfriend; buries him with priest's help
What's the story
A man was allegedly killed by his former lover, a sex worker, and three other men in Tamil Nadu's Pudukkottai, likely over money, the police said. They then chopped up his body and traveled 400km to bury it. The woman, Bhagyalakshmi, has been arrested while the other suspects are absconding. The deceased, M Jeyanthan, reportedly worked with Thai Airways at the Chennai International Airport.
Incident
Jeyanthan left for native place on March 18
According to the police, Jeyanthan (29) left for his hometown of Villupuram on March 18. However, he never reached there, and his phone was switched off. Then on March 21, his sister, M Jeyakruba (41), an advocate at the Madras High Court, lodged a missing complaint. The police scanned his call records and zeroed in on Bhagyalakshmi (38) while tracing Jeyanthan's location in Pudukkottai.
Contact
They met in 2020 at lodge, split in 2021
The police said that Jeyanthan first met Bhagyalakshmi at a lodge in Tambaram, a southern suburb of Chennai, in May 2020. They began dating soon after, and Jeyanthan tied a thali or mangal sutra to her at a temple in Mayilam, near Villupuram, without informing his family. They reportedly broke up in January 2021, but recently, she called Jeyanthan to her home in Pudukkottai.
Murder
Bhagyalakshmi, accomplices murdered Jeyanthan at her home
Once Jeyanthan reached Bhagyalakshmi's home, they allegedly entered into an argument. She then called her friend Shankar, who arrived with two others. The group murdered Jeyanthan and dismembered his body. On March 20, they carried his severed limbs in a plastic bag and traveled to Kovalam to bury them. On March 26, Bhagyalakshmi took a cab to Kovalam to bury the remaining body parts.
Statement
Priest helped Bhagyalakshmi bury remaining body parts
The police added that among the suspects was a priest who helped Bhagyalakshmi in burying the remaining body parts. Meanwhile, an investigation officer said that Bhagyalakshmi gave contradicting statements about the murder. The police are attempting to connect the dots to determine the motive for the murder and the accused traveling such a long distance in a week's time to bury the body parts.