Coimbatore: A 54-year-old man was arrested for murdering a hotel owner and attempting to murder his paramour at Nagamanaickenpalayam, on Tuesday.The arrested has been identified as P Premanand, 54, a passenger auto rickshaw driver from Venkateswara Nagar at Nagamanaickenpalayam near Sulur. The deceased has been identified as S Dhilipan, 37, from Vaniyampadi taluk in Tirupathur district. He was running Uzhavan Hotel at Nagamanaickenpalayam.Police said Premanand, a widower, had expressed his interest in marrying Anbu Esther alias Kalamani, 37, from Tirunelveli district. The woman, a divorcee, was residing at Sri Chinnaiyan Nagar in Nagamanaickenpalayam village near Sulur. However, she turned down Premanand’s proposal as she was in a relationship with Dhilipan. Around 5.30am on Tuesday, Premanand forcibly entered the woman’s house at Sri Chinnaiyan Nagar and attacked Dhilipan with a knife, causing multiple stab injuries. When Anbu intervened, Premanand stabbed her on the hip. He also cut off the LPG tube connecting the cylinder regulator and stove in the kitchen and set it on fire.A major fire broke out at the house, and neighbours alerted the police on hearing the commotion. However, by the time police and fire personnel arrived, Dhilipan had succumbed to injuries, while Anbu and Premanand were rescued with burn injuries. The two have been admitted as in-patients at the Coimbatore Medical College Hospital (CMCH).Sulur police have registered a case and are investigating further. Meanwhile, police said Premanand had earlier attacked the couple and attempted to murder them on January 4. He was arrested and lodged in the Coimbatore Central Prison and released on conditional bail last month.
