india

Updated: Oct 16, 2019 00:42 IST

A 40-year-old realtor was murdered late Monday night and his genitals cut off by killers hired by his estranged wife in Madurai, about 500 km south of Chennai, police said on Tuesday.

“The deceased, Ranjith Kumar who was engaged in real estate business, was sitting in front of his house at Seethalakshmi Nagar area late on Monday night when a three-member gang attacked him with machetes. The gang also cut off his genitals and fled the scene. He was rushed to the Government Rajaji Hospital where he succumbed to his injuries in the morning,” a police officer said.

The killers also inflicted deep cuts on Kumar’s head and body and left him in a pool of blood. It was neighbours who called an ambulance and rushed him to hospital.

Although no one has been arrested so far, police say Kumar’s estranged wife, Subha (34) is a prime suspect in the murder.

While it was initially believed to be a murder borne out of business rivalry, police said their preliminary inquiries revealed that Subha had hired the killers led by one Prakash.

“Kumar and Subha have three children but they separated five years ago. Kumar recently had developed a relationship with a woman in the neighbourhood. On coming to know about the relationship Subha got enraged and wanted to avenge that. She then engaged the three youth to kill him,” an investigating officer said.

“We are probing all angles, but the preliminary investigation revealed that it was an act of revenge by Subha, who is absconding. The assailants too have gone into hiding. We have identified the accused and they will be nabbed soon,” he added.