One More Arrested In Tamil Nadu Techie Dishonour Killing Case

The Crime Branch-CID arrested another person on Wednesday in the alleged dishonour killing of 23-year-old Dalit techie Kavin Selvaganesh.

 Investigators said Jeyapaul was arrested for allegedly sheltering the key accused, Surjith. Jeyapaul, Surjith's cousin, allegedly hacked Kavin to death on July 23 in Tamil Nadu's Tirunelveli, opposing his sister's inter-caste relationship with the victim.

Earlier, Surjith's father, Saravanan, a serving Sub-Inspector, was also arrested in connection with the murder. Both father and son have been arrested for murder, and the case under the SC/ST (Prevention of Atrocities) Act was registered. 

Surjith's mother, also a police Sub-Inspector, has been suspended, and the family of the victim has demanded her arrest too.

Kavin, a software engineer from Thoothukudi, was treating his ailing grandfather at a Siddha centre — where his girlfriend, a Siddha doctor from a dominant caste, worked — when he was allegedly lured away and killed. CCTV footage reportedly shows Surjith taking Kavin on his bike shortly before the attack.

The murder, now being probed by the CBCID, has triggered widespread outrage over caste-based violence and police complicity. Kavin's family had initially refused to accept his body, demanding the arrest of all those involved.

With Jeyapaul's arrest, investigators believe they have uncovered a key link in the chain of events following the killing, as the case continues to unfold.

Kavin's girlfriend, in an unverified video, has said she truly loved him, and her father didn't know about their relationship and claimed her parents had no role in the murder.