A 55-year-old farmer and his wife were found charred to death in their shack, which was locked from outside, on farmland in Pakkiripalayam village near Chengam town in Tiruvannamalai on Friday.
The police identified the deceased as T. Sakthivel and his wife S. Amirtham, 40. Sakthivel was a former ward councilor in Pakkiripalayam village panchayat and a DMK cadre. Initial investigations revealed that Sakthivel was first married to Tamilisai, 50. The couple has three sons. After some misunderstandings, the couple separated and Tamilisai lived with her children in Bengaluru for the last five years. Police said Sakthivel met Amirtham when she was working at his rented farm. Amirtham was also estranged from her husband Sivakumar, 45, who lived in the same village with their three children.
Police said that after their marriage, Sakthivel and Amirtham lived in a hut on the farm land in the village. After midnight on Friday, unknown people allegedly set fire to the cottage after locking the door from outside. The couple was burned to death.
Acting on a tip from neighbours, the police arrived at the scene around 7am. The bodies have been sent to the Government Medical College Hospital in Tiruvannamalai for post-mortem. Tiruvannamalai Superintendent of Police M. Sudhakar has formed special teams to nab the suspects. A probe is underway.
Published – 02 Jan 2026 20:39 IST
