Two men were arrested by Pillur Dam police on Monday for the murder of a 23-year-old tribal youth, R Sanjith, in the Karamadai forest range near the Sorandi settlement. The accused have been identified as K Praveen alias Murugesan (37) of Kundoor and Pappaiyan (50) of Ansoor near Velliankadu. All three were reportedly related and had entered the forest allegedly to hunt wild animals using a country-made gun.
According to police sources, after reaching the forest, the trio consumed alcohol, following which a heated argument broke out between Sanjith and Pappaiyan. In a fit of rage, Pappaiyan allegedly grabbed the firearm and shot Sanjith, with five bullets hitting his abdomen and chest, killing him on the spot.
The next morning, around 8:30 am, Praveen informed Sanjith’s family that he had been shot near the Bhavani River. When the family arrived, they found Sanjith dead and the other two missing. The police launched a search and arrested Praveen from his home, where he was found intoxicated and giving contradictory statements. Pappaiyan was also later arrested.
Following the incident, forest officials searched the Sorandi tribal settlement for illegal firearms, but none were found. However, authorities now plan a combing operation across 24 tribal settlements within the reserve forest and 3 outside it.
Tribal residents have been given two weeks to voluntarily surrender illegal weapons, including country-made guns, as part of the forest department’s crackdown.