Coimbatore: A 40-year-old man, who went missing on March 3, was found dead in PAP irrigation canal at Nathegoundenpalayam in Tirupur district on Saturday.The Sultanpet police in Coimbatore have arrested three men and detained a woman and a minor boy for abducting and murdering him. According to a police officer, M Sathishkumar, 40, of Sultanpet, was kidnapped by an unidentified gang on March 3 while he was on his way to S Kumarapalayam to meet his children, who were staying with his estranged wife. “Sathishkumar was married to Saranya with two children. After living together for 11 years, Saranya separated from him five years ago and moved to her mother’s residence at S Kumarapalayam with the children. She developed an affair with her relative S Murugan, 40, of V Vadugapalayam. When Sathishkumar came to know about this, he warned her to end the affair. Saranya and Murugan subsequently planned to murder him,” the officer said. On March 3, Saranya informed Murugan that her estranged husband was coming home to meet the children, the officer said. “Murugan, along with V Gobinath, 25, of Tirupur, N Sivalingam, 24, of V Vadugapalayam, and a 17-year-old minor, abducted Sathishkumar while he was travelling on Kumarapalayam–Senjerimalai road. They assaulted him with a beer bottle, took him to Vathambacheri village, and pushed him into the PAP irrigation canal.” As Sathishkumar did not return home, his parents lodged a missing person complaint with the Sultanpet police on Friday. “While investigating, we received information on Saturday that he was found dead in the canal. Murugan, Gobinath and Sivalingam have been arrested, and Saranya and the minor boy have been detained. Further probe is on,” the officer said.
