A gang held in connection with the murder of a VCK official

Residents of the village staged a protest against the arrest of the suspects. | Photo credit: Special arrangement

The Kalavai police on Saturday arrested four youths in connection with the murder of a local VCK functionary.

Police said the arrested persons were identified as R. Kaviarasu, 21, B. Mani, 22, G. Sarathi, 21, and S. Dinesh, 21. They were childhood friends near Kalavai town in the district. The victim was K. Sivakumar, 60, a VCK functionary in the area.

Initial investigations revealed that the victim, Sivakumar, was returning to his house near Kalavai town on Thursday when he was allegedly hacked to death by a two-wheeler gang. After being informed, the Kalavai police inspected the spot and sent the body to the Government Medical College Hospital in Vellore for post-mortem.

Relatives and residents of the village staged a protest against the arrest of the suspects. Superintendent of Police P. Sibin pacified the agitated residents who dispersed after being assured by the revenue and police officials that the suspects would be arrested.

Special teams were formed to analyze CCTV footage along the route. The teams also analyzed reels posted on social media in which the gang claimed revenge against local political functionaries.

Police said teams traced the gang’s location to a hideout near Arani town in Tiruvannamalai and nabbed them. The gang, led by key suspect Sivakumar, told the police that they had a dispute over borrowed money from the victim, who allegedly threatened him with dire consequences. Angered by the threats, he allegedly hacked the victim to death along with his friends.

A case has been registered. The arrested persons have been lodged in Vellore Central Jail and investigation is on.

Published – 03 Oct 2026 23:16 IST