Chennai: A 50-year-old employee of the Integral Coach Factory (ICF) and the general secretary of Southern Railway OBC Employees Welfare Association (AIOBC) was brutally hacked to death in his residence in Villivakkam on Friday morning. Two persons surrendered with the police later in the day in connection with the murder. The deceased, J.K. Puthiyavan, lived with his wife, Ranjitha Mary, also an ICF employee and two daughters Akshaya and Anusuya at a residential neighbourhood off Chennai Pattai Salai in Villivakkam.
On Friday morning, Puthiyavan’s wife had taken the children to school when the a gang barged into Puthiyavan’s house around 9 am. The gang locked the house from inside and rained blows on Puthiyavan. Hearing his screams, the tenants on the ground floor and neighbours rushed to the rescue. Before help could arrive, the attackers fled the scene with CCTV cameras in the house. Puthiyavan was moved to the railway hospital in Ayanavaram where he succumbed to his injuries. Police officers said that Puthiyavan communicated to his wife that his former driver Baskar was involved in the murder.
Later in the day, Baskar and another person, Anand surrendered before the ICF police. Police investigations revealed that Baskar worked as a driver of Puthiyavan about two years ago. Baskar had allegedly approached Puthiyavan to get his brother a job in the railways for which Puthiyavan had accepted for a sum of Rs 3.5 lakh, which was paid in installments. However, Puthiyavan apparently failed to get the job and never returned the cash, which enraged Baskar. Following this, he hatched a plan to murder Puthiyavan and executed the plan. Baskar and Anand were produced before a magistrate and remanded in judicial custody. Further investigations are on.
