Six days after a security guard at late Chief Minister Jayalalithaa’s Kodanadu tea estate was murdered, the police team investigating the case said that a gang from Thrissur had been called into Tamil Nadu by Sayan alias Shyam and Jayalalithaa’s ex-driver Kanagaraj, the two prime accused in the case.
On April 24, a security guard, Om Bahadur, who was guarding Gate No 9 of Jayalalithaa’s Kodanadu tea estate was found murdered. Another guard, Krishna Bahadur, was also injured by the gang.
Addressing the media on Saturday, Superintendent of Police Murali, who is leading the investigating team, said that Kanagaraj and Sayan plotted the crime and called in the gang from Thrissur through the latter, “Sayan’s native place is Kerala. He settled in Coimbatore. Through that connection, they (Kanagaraj and Sayan) have contacted this Thrissur gang.”
He also added that footage from CCTV cameras in many parts of Kodagiri including the main market place has been collected. “We have collected all the evidence and have drawn sketches of the suspect,” he said.
According to reports, CCTV footage had earlier revealed the number plate of the SUV in which the suspects reportedly escaped. But soon, they found that the number plate was fake. According to The Hindu, the fake number plate and gloves used by the gang were found dumped on the outskirts of Kotagiri town on Tuesday.
The police arrested Sayan on April 27, followed by seven other men from Thrissur and Malappuram the next day. Interrogation of these suspects then led them to Kanagaraj.
However, on Saturday, Kanagaraj was found dead in Salem. He reportedly died in a road accident near Attur on Friday night. Reports suggest that Kanagaraj, who was riding his bike, was hit by a Karnataka registration car near Attur at 8.30pm on Friday.
Meanwhile, Sayan alias Shyam also met with an accident while travelling with his family from Thrissur to Palakkad on Friday night. While Sayan is critical, his wife Vinupriya (27) and daughter Neethu (5) died on the spot. Their bodies have been taken to the Palakkad District Government Hospital.
Four of the suspects currently in police custody were taken to the scene of the crime on Sunday to reconstruct the details of the crime.