Five persons arrested for the death of a farmer in Tiruvannamalai

Five persons were arrested on Tuesday in connection with the death of a farmer near Cheyyar town in Tiruvannamalai for damaging groundnut cultivation.

The arrested persons were identified as S. Satyamurthy (34), S. Sakthivel (32), S. Sarala (58), S. Karthiga (29), S. Chitra (27). They are relatives of deceased farmer K. Thulukanam (44). Initial investigation revealed that the deceased Thulukanam farmer had been living with his family including three children at Kuthanur village near Cheyyar town for many years. His elder brothers K. Sekar and K. Ethiraj were farmers and each cultivated paddy on three acres of agricultural land in the village.

Police said that after Sekar’s death a few years ago, farmer Thukukanam and Satyamurthy, Sekar’s eldest son and a key suspect, decided to cultivate the farmland together. Police said Sathyamurthy asked Thulukanam to use part of the land to build a house for himself. Both agree to provide a common route to reach the agricultural land.

Police said that as part of the construction work, Sathyamurthy had brought a huge amount of mud for leveling work. The truck driver dumped mud on the peanuts in the farmland. The saplings were planted by Thulukanam who got upset seeing the damage to the crop.

Police said Thulukanam and Sathyamurthy had an argument. Four family members joined him to support Sathyamurthy. Thulukanam was badly beaten by them. Police said neighbors and elder brother Ethiraj rushed him to the Taluk Government Hospital in Vembakkam town, where doctors said he was brought dead. A case has been registered. The arrested persons have been lodged in Vellore Central Jail. A probe is underway.

Published – 01 Jul 2026 0:12 IST