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Lakshmi Subramanian
Lakshmi Subramanian

COVER STORY

A murder and two accidents

25-Sayan Living to tell the tale: K.V. Sayan (extreme left); Kanagaraj was killed in an accident.
  • Employees at the estate said it was a fight for property and that people close to V.K. Sasikala were involved.

On April 23, a group of 10 men hacked to death Om Bahadur, a security guard at Kodanad estate in Tamil Nadu. They allegedly looted the place and escaped into the night. The heist was complete, the tale was not. In fact, the mystery was just beginning. On April 28, in a bizarre coincidence, two of the main accused met with accidents; one in Salem, Tamil Nadu, and the other in Palakkad, Kerala. C. Kanagaraj, the main suspect, was reportedly drunk and on his way to a relative’s place. When he took a right to enter a service lane, a car hit his bike, killing him on the spot. Interestingly, this was just hours after the police declared him a suspect. “I don’t know if my brother was directly involved in the Kodanad murder. But, we will cooperate with the police for further investigation,” his brother, Dhanapal, told THE WEEK. Kanagaraj was related to Tamil Nadu Chief Minister Edappadi Palaniswami, but they were not on talking terms.

The same day, K.V. Sayan, the co-mastermind, was on his way to Irinjalakuda, Kerala, with his wife Vinupriya and daughter Neethu, in a car that was reportedly used for the Kodanad break-in. In a tragic happenstance, Sayan rammed a parked lorry, killing his wife and daughter on the spot. It is unclear whether he did so of his own volition or whether he was being chased, which prompted him to speed and, in turn, lose control. What added further mystery were the deep gashes found on the necks of Vinupriya and Neethu, as if they were knifed. Also, neither the bodies nor the car had any blood marks. Sayan escaped, with serious injuries and was taken to a private hospital in Coimbatore, where the police took his statement. On May 18, he was moved to a government hospital for further treatment.

Sayan, who belongs to Thrissur in Kerala, had been working in a Coimbatore bakery for the past few years. It is said that he introduced Kanagaraj to the hit men who would storm the Kodanad estate. Based on his statement, the police arrested the other gang members from Thrissur and Malappuram, in Kerala. Of these, three men—Satheesan, Deepu and Santhosh—were said to be the executors. On May 12, Krishna Bahadur, the security guard assaulted by the gang, identified three of the men during an identification parade at the Coimbatore Central Prison.

“We are investigating the case. Some valuables have been stolen,” Nilgiris superintendent of police Murali Rambha told THE WEEK. “It was planned loot,” added one of the investigating officers. Kanagaraj, once Jayalalithaa’s driver, got the boot after it was found that he had tried to misuse his proximity to the leader. Sources said he knew the Kodanad premises extensively, and that Sayan and the others used his knowledge.

Though initially there were reports that the gang had been enticed by Kanagaraj, who told them there was about Rs 200 crore in cash at the bungalow, the employees at the estate said this was a fight for property and that people close to V.K. Sasikala were involved. “Some of the arrested men and the driver who died in the accident knew about Kodanad estate earlier,” said Pondosh Kuttan, a Kodanad resident who once took Jayalalithaa to court for not allowing public passage through the estate. “One of the six arrested used to work as a carpenter in the estate. And, another used to work for a senior AIADMK person here, who is close to the [Sasikala] family even now.”

In another twist, on May 16, Nilgiris Police called for questioning V.C. Arukutty, an MLA from Salem, for his alleged links with Kanagaraj. Apparently, the two had had 300 phone conversations after Kanagaraj was booted out of Poes Garden. Arukutty, apparently, admitted to the connection. “But, I did not meet or talk to him after I defected to the OPS camp,” Arukutty told THE WEEK. Interestingly, highly placed sources in the police department said they were investigating the involvement of the Panneerselvam camp, and that was why Arukutty was summoned.

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