Honour killing: Man invites sister, husband to dinner, hacks both to death in TN

Chennai: In yet another case of honour killing in Tamil Nadu, a person hacked to death his sister and her husband.

The dastardly act took place at Kumbakonam in Thanjavur district of Tamil Nadu on Monday evening.

The deceased is Saranya (24) and her husband Mohan (31). Saranya, who is a Dalit, married Mohan, of Naicker caste, five days ago after a love affair of five months.

A nurse, Saranya took her ailing mother to the hospital in Chennai, where she was working, and met Mohan who was at the hospital as an attendant to his relative. The friendship turned into a love affair and they decided to marry amid strict opposition from both families.

Saryanya's brother Sakthivel (31) wanted to marry her off to his friend Ranjith (28), of Devanagiri. However, Saranya insisted on marrying Mohan which infuriated her brother.

However, police said that Shakthivel invited them for dinner at the family residence and after the feast hacked both of them to death. Ranjith was also an accomplice in the murder of the duo.

Thanjavur Superintendent of Police, G Ravali Priya told IANS that both the accused, Sakthivel and Ranjith, are in police custody and further investigation is on.

She said that a detailed charge sheet will be presented before the court after taking information from eye witnesses, relatives and friends, and local people.

Tamil Nadu is fast turning into a hotbed of caste-based honour killings. Casteism is rampant in the state, with many Dalit families not even being permitted to cross the fields of backward castes and upper castes.