Chennai: Three disgruntled husbands whose wives had filed for divorce through the Dalit advocate T. Ravi were arrested along with their five associates for the brutal killing the advocate, at the New Magazine Road and Sathyamoorthy Nagar junction, on Wednesday.
The trio — S. Nagaraj (35), Raj aka ‘Thondai’ Raj (34) and Raj aka ‘Vellai’ Raj (40), were upset about their spouses walking out from their lives and Ravi emerging as their trusted male companion. Ravi is reported to have spent over Rs 1 lakh towards Nagaraj's wife Ananthi (31), to make her life cosy.
He also grew passionate towards ‘Thondai’ Raj's wife Deepa and 'Vellai' Raj's wife Ananthi and two other women from the same neighbourhood, all residents of Udhayasooriyan Nagar, Sathyamoorthy Nagar.
The affected men confronted Ravi, and suggested he amend his romantic ways, which the latter conveniently ignored. As talks failed, the trio decided to eliminate Ravi and roped six of their friends into the conspiracy. Since they were also from the same neighbourhood, the plan took shape in just two days.
After mounting surveillance on Ravi's routine, the gang intercepted him when he returned home after dropping both his children at school. The gang hacked him near Ambedkar statue after a short chase. The gang was picked up from a hiding place in Red Hills and a hunt is on to locate one more suspect who is still at large.
The deceased was a heavyweight in the neighbourhood, a self-made man and most sought lawyer among SM Nagar elders wishing to handle the problem of fledglings taking to crimes. Ravi is booked in two cases - one of assaulting a Youth Brigade member inside Vyasarpadi. Police station and a criminal trespass into a disputed property, both in favour of his clients.
