Sand mining mafia murder village administrative officer inside his office in Thoothukudi district

Members of the illicit sand mining mafia operating along the Thamirabarani watercourse on Tuesday afternoon, brutally killed a Village Administrative Officer (VAO) in his office. Family members of the VAO alleged that he had been facing threats from the illicit sand mafia and was not given police protection, even though he had asked for it

Members of the illicit sand mining mafia operating along the Thamirabarani watercourse on Tuesday afternoon, brutally killed a Village Administrative Officer (VAO) in his office. Family members of the VAO alleged that he had been facing threats from the mafia and was not given police protection, even though he had asked for it.

According to the police, Lourdhu Francis, 56, of Pudukottai near Thoothkudi, was working as the VAO of Murappanadu, on the Thoothukudi – Palayamkottai Highway, a region known for illicit sand mining. As Francis was reportedly informing the police and his higher-ups about the illicit sand miners operating in the area, he had earned the mafia’s enmity.

On Tuesday afternoon, two persons trespassed into his office and brutally hacked him, leaving him grievously injured and bleeding on the floor. After passers-by alerted the Murappanaadu police, they rushed him to the Government Tirunelveli Medical College Hospital, where he succumbed to his injuries.

Superintendent of Police L. Balaji Saravanan visited the spot, and deployed a special team to nab the assailants. The police have already detained one individual, Ramasubramanian, an illicit sand miner from nearby Kaliyaavoor, and a hunt is on to arrest his associate, Marimuthu, police said.

The Murappanaadu police have registered a case.

A preliminary investigations revealed that Ramasubramanian and Marimuthu were actively involved in illicit sand quarrying from areas along the Thamirabarani watercourse as demand for river sand is heavy in this region. Since the Tamil Nadu Government is yet to open a sand quarry in the southern districts, the builders have access to only M-Sand and hence the demand for illegally-mined river sand is is high, notwithstanding its price.

District Collector K. Senthil Raj visited the hospital where the body of Lourdhu Francis has been kept, and condoled with the family of the deceased officer. “We will take stringent action against those who have murdered the VAO in this brutal manner and ensure they are punished,” he said.