Jaya estate break-in: Key accused dies in accident, 3 other suspects arrested

Coimbatore: Three persons suspected of murder of security guard at former TN Chief Minister Jayalalithaa’s Kodanad estate arrested by Ooty police on Saturday.

Earlier, a former driver of late Jayalalithaa and one of the main suspects in the murder of a security guard at a bungalow in nearby Kodanadu Estate frequented by her, was killed in a road accident.

Another suspect and close friend of Kankaraj, Sayan alias Shyam, was seriously injured while his wife and child died in a road accident involving their two-wheeler and a car in Kerala's Thrissur district also on Saturday, police said.

Kanakaraj died after his two-wheeler hit a car early Saturday at Athur in Salem district, police said.

Kanakaraj and Sayan were key suspects in the break-in and murder case, police said, citing information provided by three persons taken into custody on Friday in connection with the incident, police said.

Jayalalithaa had sacked Kanagaraj, who is from Chennai, after she found out that he was misusing her name, according to a The Newsminute report.

But he was already aware of the details of the Kodanad estate, said the report, and visited it many times in the past.

A security guard posted at the bungalow, frequently visited by Jayalalithaa, at nearby Kodanad estate was found dead on April 24, while some documents were suspected to have been stolen from there.

The estate figures in the disproportionate assets case involving jailed AIADMK general secretary V K Sasikala and Jayalalithaa, among others.

While 40-year-old Om Bahadur was found dead, a seriously wounded Kishore is undergoing treatment.

Quoting villagers, the police had then said a 10-member gang in two vehicles was seen entering the area in the early hours.

Police suspected the motive of the gang could have been to steal valuables or documents, as one door of the bungalow was found broken open.

Resistance by the guards might have led to their being attacked causing the death of one of them, they said.

Police had earlier said one or two suitcases at the bungalow were found prised open, but it was not clear what they contained.