Superintendent of Police C. Madan addressing journalists in Thoothukudi district on March 19, 2026.
| Photo Credit: N. Rajesh
The police on Thursday arrested a suspect in connection with the murder of a Class XII student from a village in Thoothukudi district last week.
The arrested was identified as M. Dharma Muneeswaran alias Maveeran, 38, from Sayalkudi in Ramanathapuram district.
Addressing the media, Thoothukudi District Superintendent of Police C. Madhan said evidence that led to Muneeswaran’s arrest was gathered purely through scientific investigation. He said 10 special teams, comprising four Deputy Superintendents of Police and six Inspectors, were formed, and the investigation was carried out on multiple angles.
He said 461 individuals from the district were interrogated both directly and through digital methods. As the case is still under investigation, further details cannot be disclosed at this time, he said.
Sexual assault-cum-murder
Responding to a question on whether this was a sexual assault-cum-murder, Mr. Madhan said it was and samples had been sent for testing. He said Muneeswaran had several cases against him but had no political background. He added that necessary action would be taken to ensure maximum punishment for the accused.
The suspect outside the Kulathur police station after being arrested.
| Photo Credit:
Special arrangement
The 17-year-old girl reportedly went missing in a scrub forest area around 250 metres from her residence on the evening of March 10. On the same day, her parents visited the Kulathur police station around 9.30 p.m. to lodge a complaint. Since the girl was a minor, her parents were asked to lodge the complaint at the Vilathikulam All-Women Police Station. On March 11, they approached the Vilathikulam station. But the personnel allegedly refused to register the complaint.
The personnel of the Vilathikulam station also allegedly used derogatory remarks against the victim. Finally, a case was registered at the Kulathur police station. However, the victim was found murdered on March 11. The Kulathur police rushed to the spot and sent the body to the Thoothukudi Government Medical College and Hospital for a post-mortem.
The victim’s parents and villagers staged protests demanding the arrest of the suspect and action against the Kulathur and Vilathikulam police for failing to act in a timely manner. Although the post-mortem was completed on March 12, her family said they would only accept the body after the suspect’s arrest. Sources said that during the investigation it was found an unidentified bike was parked few metres away from where the body was found. Further analysis of CCTV footage from the surrounding areas helped trace the suspect.
Based on these leads, one of the special teams arrested Muneeswaran. The police said he had stolen the bike from Parthibanur in Ramanathapuram district a few days ago, and a case was also registered in this regard. A kin of the victim told The Hindu that talks were on, and the body would mostly be received by Friday. An investigation was under way to establish the sequence of events leading to the crime, and determine if others were involved, the police said.
Came out on bail in December 2025
The police said Muneeswaran was previously arrested for a similar crime. Two years ago, the Fast Track Mahila Court in Thoothukudi had awarded him a life sentence, holding him guilty of rape and murder in a case reported in 2022. The court had found him guilty and convicted him on four counts — life imprisonment for murder, 20-year rigorous imprisonment for rape, 10-year jail term for robbery, and two weeks’ jail term for criminal restraint. He had come out on bail granted by the Madras High Court only in December 2025, the police said.
Meanwhile, Inspector-General of Police (IG) Vijayendra Bidari appreciated the meticulous investigation by the special teams in cracking a “blind” case. “In this case, there was no clue. No one had seen the accused either before or after the crime. He was a total stranger to the scene of the crime, which is an interior village,” he said.
Mr. Bidari said the accused had been signing the register in the court as part of his bail conditions every day even after committing the crime. With no CCTV cameras available in the vicinity of the scene of crime, the police had gone through hours of video footage from those located in the surrounding areas, in far-off places, and on roads leading to the village. The IG said the police would take all efforts to expeditiously prosecute him in the current case.
Published – March 19, 2026 04:15 pm IST
