GPS device helps trace P Chidambaram's missing kin's body

Krishnagiri: A GPS device fitted in a luxury car has helped the police to solve the case of the missing Tiruppur businessman, Shivamurthy, a relative of senior Congress leader and former Finance Minister, P Chidambaram. However, the police could not save the abducted victim. On Wednesday, a joint search operation was conducted by the Tamil Nadu fire and rescue services personals and the Hosur police staff to trace the dead body of the missing Shivamurthy, said to be the son-in-law of Chidambaram’s sister-in-law.

Shivamurthy’s body was fished out of the Kelavarapalli dam in Hosur after three hours of search. The recovered body was found wrapped in a bed spread, the face partially duct taped and a mile-stone tied to his back to avoid the dead body from coming out of the water.

The 47-years-old Shivamurthy, a businessman of Tiruppur went missing, a few days ago after he ventured out of his house informing relatives of his Coimbatore trip and did not return home. His worried relatives gave a police complaint in Tirupur north police station because his mobile phone was continuously switched off, since he went missing and could not be traced despite their best efforts.

Meanwhile, the GPS tracking device fitted in Shivamurthy’s luxury car showed that the vehicle was moving in the Bengaluru-Chennai national highway and in the early hours of Wednesday crossed Ambur town in Vellore district.

The Ambur highway patrol police who was alerted then intercepted the vehicle at Vengili village, 10-km from Ambur, on the Bengaluru-Chennai national highway.

Surprisingly, three tipsy youths were found in the vehicle, but not Shivamurthy. The trio was taken to the Ambur taluk police station and when questioned gave their names as 22-year-old S. Gowtham, 35-year-old K. Vimal and 22-year-old S. Manibharathi, all belonging to Ganapathi Nagar in Coimbatore.

They also reportedly admitted to killing Shivamurthy, allegedly because of his affair with a woman of his place. His body was transported in his luxury car and dumped into the Kelavarapalli dam near here, sources said.