The 55-year-old writer was lodged in Madurai Central Prison for murdering his son 27-year-old Vipin.

Tamil writer Soundarapandian alias Souba, who was recently arrested for murdering his son, died at the Government Rajaji Hospital on Monday.

The 55-year-old writer was lodged in Madurai Central Prison for murdering his son 27-year-old Vipin, an alleged drug addict, on May 9. Twelve days later, the author’s health deteriorated and was shifted to the GRH’s prison ward.

On June 9, due to high blood-sugar levels, he was moved to the Intensive Care Unit at the hospital. Subsequently, one of his legs was amputated.

The writer fell unconscious on the eve of June 10. Doctors began to operate but found that there was irreparable damage, according to sources at the hospital. He died at 1.05 a.m. on June 11. His body would be handed over to his family members on Monday.

The writer’s crime came as a shock to many as he was well known in the Madurai literary circle. After being reportedly frustrated about his son’s alcohol and drug addiction for many months, he decided to murder his son and bury him at his private farm on the foothills of Sirumalai in Nilakottai block.

Souba was famous for highlighting the issues of female infanticide in Usilampatti during his initial days as a journalist. The movie, Seevalaperi Pandi, about a criminal who was murdered in an encounter, was based on a story written by him.