In a shocking twist to the double murder and robbery at the Nachadai Thavirtharuliya Swamy Temple in Devadhanam village, near Rajapalayam in Virudhunagar district, it has been revealed that one of the accused had joined members of the public in demanding justice — before being identified and shot dead by police the following day.
The gruesome incident took place on Monday night, when two temple guards, Pechimuthu (50) and Sankara Pandian (65), were hacked to death by a gang of robbers who looted silver ornaments, cash, and removed the temple’s CCTV cameras before fleeing.
Following the murders, Madurai Range DIG Abhinav Kumar and Virudhunagar SP D. Kannan visited the spot and formed six special teams to trace the culprits.
During the investigation, police arrested Nagaraj (25), son of Ganesan from Devadhanam, suspected to be directly involved in the robbery and killings. In a bizarre revelation, officers found that Nagaraj had stood among the public on Tuesday morning, arguing with police and demanding the arrest of the “killers”, attempting to mislead both the crowd and investigators by posing as an innocent bystander.
Later, his image was identified in CCTV footage from the temple, leading to his arrest on Tuesday night.
When police took Nagaraj to the spot around 5 a.m. on Wednesday to recover the hidden stolen items and weapons, he allegedly attacked a Sub-Inspector with a machete and tried to flee. The police then opened fire, shooting him dead on the spot.
Officials confirmed that Nagaraj had a prior record and was recently released on bail in a theft case.
Another suspect, Muniyasamy, is still on the run, and a search operation is underway to apprehend him.
The revelation that the killer had joined the public in demanding his own arrest has left residents of Rajapalayam in disbelief, as police continue their probe into the chilling double murder.
