Tirunelveli​: Police here arrested 14 persons including the state office-bearers of the Devendrakula Vellalar Koottamaippu, a Dalit party founded by late Pasupathi Pandian, in connection with a double murder that occurred near here recently.
Police also seized lethal weapons and country-made bombs from the house of the state youth wing secretary of the Devendra Vellalar Kootamaippu, Kannapiran.
Following the murder of an 18-year-old youth, Sudalaimani and his grandfather, Muthusamy (65), on December 27 at Pakkapatti village near Vallanadu in Thoothukudi district, the Superintendent of Police formed three special teams to nab the murderers.
Based on information that a few of the accused in the double murder were given refuge by Kannapiran (48), special team police raided his house in Chathiramputhukulam village near Tirunelveli and arrested him along with two other accused hiding there. They also seized 27 sickles and nine country-made bombs from Kannapiran's house.
Eleven others suspected to have connections to the double murder, and found hiding in same village were also nabbed. It is reported that the arrested men were planning to trigger a caste clash.
Among those arrested, Kannapiran, Kumuli Rajkumar and David have several cases including murder cases pending against them.
