Chennai: A simmering ganja turf war in neighbouring Tiruvallur district has come to the fore following the murder of a youth. The death came to light only 21 days after the murder had been committed when the cops stumbled upon the skeleton of the victim near the railway tracks on Tuesday.
The cops recovered a skull and other bones of the deceased who was identified as Vinoth (21), a resident of Mettupalayam village in Vannipakkam Panchayat.
Sources said the deceased youth and his friend Jawahar were marked by the rival gang operating from Melur, Nalur and Ponneri since they wanted to break into the ganja market in Pallam, a lucrative trove which was being controlled by the duo.
Police recover a skull. (Photo: DC)
Vinoth was reported missing on September 15 by his father Venkatesn, who stated that a rival gang had taken his son away in an autorickshaw two days earlier and brought his two-wheeler home saying it had been found abandoned near the village.
Based on inputs from the family, Minjur Police picked up a gang of 7 persons from a Melur pocket near Ponneri and the gang confessed to have abducted and murdered Vinoth.
They had dumped the body on the Gummidipoondi line and saw it getting mutilated by a speeding train on September 13.
On Tuesday, Minjur Police scoured the tracks between Anuppampattu and Minjur railway stations managed to locate a skull, a dislodged jaw and a thighbone from the bushes in the vicinity of the tracks near Akkarampedu.
The mutilated body had turned into feed for stray dogs and birds and the mortal remains were subsequently reduced to a few bones. Torn pieces of his T-shirt and trousers the youth was wearing when he went missing were also recovered from that spot. The family confirmed the youth’s identity with the help of the clothes.
The locals charged the cops with sitting idle on Venkatesan’s complaint, which categorically stated that an abduction had taken place and had also named a few from the rival gang who were part of the group who had picked up Vinoth. The deceased is survived by his father who works as ornamental tile worker and his mother. Further investigations are on.
