Tuticorin (Tamil Nadu), March 19 A 38-year-old man with a criminal record was arrested in connection with the rape and murder of a 17-year-old girl near Vilathikulam here, police said on Thursday.
The accused, identified as Dharma Muneeswaran, was apprehended after CCTV footage from a windmill and a stolen motorcycle found near the crime scene provided crucial leads.
The victim went missing on March 10, and her body was recovered from a secluded area the following day. The post-mortem confirmed sexual assault and fatal injuries.
A missing person's report was filed on March 11, which was later amended to include charges of murder and offences under the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act after the body was found in the outskirts of the Vedanatham village on the same day, the police said.
According to the police, there was no CCTV at the crime scene, but the police checked nearly 98 CCTV footages from surrounding areas, including the Kulathur–Kurukkusalai stretch, which covered all the villages along the route.
During the course of the investigation, 461 known offenders were physically and digitally verified and ruled out through antecedent checks and witness examination, police sources said.
The breakthrough came when a suspicious two-wheeler – which had previously been found abandoned near the scene and later went missing – was linked with CCTV footage from a nearby windmill, showing its movement at the relevant time, a police official said.
Tracing the bike led the police to Muneeswaran, who had been released from prison in December 2025 after his sentence in a previous serious offence case was suspended, the official added.
Meanwhile, taking to 'X', BJP state former president K Annamalai said the accused was arrested in 2022 for the sexual assault and murder of a 65-year-old elderly woman and was sentenced to life imprisonment.
Annamalai blamed the DMK government "for handling the case in a negligent manner, which allowed a criminal, who was sentenced to life for the sexual assault and murder of an elderly woman, to obtain bail in the Supreme Court".
"The Tamil Nadu police failed to continuously monitor this individual, who had a history of criminal activity, when he was out on bail," he added.
The case also led to a judicial intervention by the Madurai Bench of the Madras High Court, which directed the Vilathikulam DSP to spearhead the investigation. The court has sought a status report by April 2.
Earlier, an Inspector and a Special Sub-Inspector were suspended for alleged negligence in registering a formal complaint when the girl's disappearance was first reported. Ten special police teams have been deployed to gather forensic and digital evidence.