Two security guards were hacked to death at a Hindu Religious and Charitable Endowments (HR&CE) Department-run temple near Rajapalayam in Tamil Nadu's Virudhunagar district on Tuesday early morning. Police suspect the murders were linked to theft from the temple's hundi (offertory box).
The victims have been identified as Pechimuthu (60) and Sankar Pandian (50), both employed as night guards at the Nachadai Thavirthu Aruliaswamy Temple, managed by the HR&CE Department. A third guard, Madasamy, who had worked the day shift, made the gruesome discovery around 6:00 AM when he arrived for duty.
Also Read | 1st Pic Of Delhi Blast Suspect Surfaces, He Parked Car Near Red Fort For 3 Hours
Police said Madasamy found the smaller gate of the main entrance ajar. On entering, he saw the two guards lying in pools of blood with deep cut wounds. The temple's hundi was found damaged, indicating an attempted break-in.
He immediately alerted temple officials and the police, following which senior officers rushed to the scene and began investigations. Forensic teams and sniffer dogs were deployed to collect evidence, while the police are reviewing CCTV footage from the temple premises to identify the culprit.
Also Read | Faridabad, Badarpur, Red Fort: NDTV Maps Route Of Car Behind Delhi Blast
A senior officer told NDTV, "It's a clear case of murder and robbery breaking open the temple collection box. We would nab the culprits soon. We believe the guards resisted, and there was a skirmish."
There was tension outside the temple as relatives of the guards gathered, saying that they'd not receive the bodies until those responsible were arrested.
Police later sent the bodies to the government hospital for a postmortem.
