Oct 10, 2012: Man arrested six months after killing pregnant lover

TNN | Oct 10, 2012, 06.07AM IST

MADURAI: Police have arrested a man for allegedly murdering his lover six months ago in Virudhunagar after she asked him to marry her. It happened six months ago and police were clueless until recently when they arrested the accused, who allegedly murdered a dalit woman, whom he was in love with.

Rajagopal, a non-dalit and Vijayalakshmi, a dalit, were in love. When she asked him to marry her, he said it would bring a bad name to his family. However, the relationship between Rajagopal and Vijayalakshmi was more than just a courtship and she ended up becoming pregnant. Fearing that he would have to marry her, Rajagopal allegedly strangled her to death on April 5, according to the police. He packed the body in a gunny bag and pushed it into an abandoned well in Kurichiyarpatti village in Virudhunagar, they added.

Even though a missing complaint was filed on April 9, it took almost six months for the police to arrest the accused. The Thalavaipuram police arrested Rajagopal on October 7 and registered a case (Crime No: 218/2012) under Section 302 and 201 of the IPC. But what irks the victim's parents and dalit activists, is the way the investigation was conducted.

"My daughter was working in a private mill in the nearby Nallanayakkanpatti village. Rajagopal was working as supervisor there. On April 4, my daughter was on night duty. She did not return home from work the next day. I soon filed a missing complaint at the Thalavaipuram police station and based on it, police questioned Rajagopal but let him off later," said S Karuppasamy, father of the victim, who lives in Solapuram village in Virudhunagar district.

Police, however, began investigation based on the photograph they received from the victim's parents. "The parents of the victim were not cooperative. They didn't disclose various facts which could give a vital clue to the case. They didn't tell us that the girl was pregnant. They were also clueless about the affair going on between Vijayalakshmi and Rajagopal," said M Krishnan, inspector of the Thalavaipuram police station.

In a twist to the tale, on August 22, the Virallimalai police in Trichy district found the dead body of an unidentified woman in a well. The Trichy police soon informed the Thalavaipuram police station. The parents of the victims, however, said it was not of their daughter's. Even though the incident is not related, it led to confession by Rajagopal, two months later.

"Rajagopal confessed that he had murdered Vijayalakshmi as a marriage with her would bring a bad name to his family. We have also recovered the remains of the body. A DNA test confirmed that it was the victim's," said Krishnan. However, dalit activists blame the police for its sluggish way of investigation. "This is a strong case of dishonour killing. Such cases are on rise in Tamil Nadu now. But the police take a long time to arrest the accused," said A Kathir, director of Evidence, a Madurai-based NGO.
Link: Man arrested six months after killing pregnant lover