Chennai: The body of a 42-year-old businessman was recovered from his car parked in a paddy field in Selaiyur on Friday morning. Although the police initially suspected it to be a case of suicide, it was later confirmed that the man was strangled to death.
The deceased was identified as M.Pazhaniswami(47), a realtor and a resident of Keelkattalai in Madipakkam. Pazhaniswami lived with his wife Muthulakshmi and their two children. The police said that the deceased had left his house on Thursday afternoon and had informed his wife that he was going to meet his friend Ranjith Kumar in Selaiyur. Because he did not return as expected, his wife tried reaching him on his mobile phone but there was no response. She grew suspicious and started searching for him before filing a missing complaint with the Selaiyur police.
The police said that Ranjith Kumar, a resident of Agaramthen in Selaiyur and a priest cum owner of the Jayashanthi Muth, was friends with Pazhaniswami and they used to travel to pilgrimage destinations together. “Ranjith Kumar had borrowed Rs 5 lakhs from the victim and when he kept asking for the money, Ranjith and his friend Rajesh plotted to eliminate him,” police sources said.
Around 11 am on Friday, the Selaiyur police were informed about a cozy Audi (car) which had been parked inside a paddy field near Annaisathya Nagar in Selaiyur. The police rushed to the spot and found Pazhaniswami lying motionless inside his car. As there were no injury marks on his body, the police initially thought that he might have consumed poison and committed suicide. However, it was later confirmed that the man was strangled to death.
The body was then sent to the Chromepet government hospital for its post mortem. The Selaiyur police have registered a case and launched a search.
Meanwhile, on Friday evening, Pazhaniswami’s drivers Marimuthu and Somasundharam surrendered before the Saidapet court alleging that they strangled Pazhaniswami to death as ordered by Ranjith Kumar. They have been taken into police custody, and further investigation is underway to nab Ranjith and his friend Rajesh who absconded from the spot.
