Coimbatore district police on Wednesday arrested five more individuals linked to the murder of a 24-year-old youth at a centre for persons with developmental disorders near Pollachi.
The arrested include Kavitha (53), her husband Lakshmanan (54), their daughters Shruthi (23) and Shreya (20), and Shaji (27), identified as one of the masterminds behind the murder. Kavitha, Shruthi, and Shreya are trustees of the organisation managing the centre.
A senior police officer confirmed that the accused confessed to involvement in the murder of S R Varunkanth, a resident of Karavali Madappur, who had attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). Varunkanth had been admitted to the Yuthira Charitable Trust’s Special Children Care and Training Centre in Rathinasabapathy Puram, near Pollachi, over three months ago.
Earlier, six other individuals, including caretakers of the centre, were arrested in connection with the case.
The arrests followed the exhumation of Varunkanth’s body from a farm in S Nagoor near Nadupuni, where he was buried on May 13, a day after the murder. Police reported that Varunkanth was assaulted with sticks and plastic pipes starting May 9, allegedly as a reaction to his aggressive behaviour.
The investigation continues as authorities probe the circumstances surrounding this tragic case.
