A software engineer from Madurai, who was lured by a ‘female voice’ that he had befriended through a social networking site, was kidnapped and murdered by a gang of youth in Dindigul district.

According to police, the deceased, M. Muthuvijayan, went missing from his house in Anuppanadi here on October 3. He had told his parents that he was going to attend the opening ceremony of his friend’s shop in Theni and never returned.

His father, M. Muruganandam, a bank employee, lodged a police complaint on October 6.

Meanwhile, a special team of police secured two youths by tracing the calls made by the deceased. The duo has reportedly confessed, along with four others, to have murdered Muthuvijayan after failing to fleece money from him, the police said. “The culprit had befriended the victim in the guise of a girl. He had used software available in China-make mobile phones to change his voice to that of a girl. It seems Muthuvijayan had posed himself to be from an affluent family,” a police official said. Only after taking him to Vaigai dam did the gang realise that Muthuvijayan did not have enough money with him. They had a wordy duel with him. Later, fearing that Muthuvijayan would go to the police, they planned to kill him. They took him in a car towards Kodaikanal. After stabbing him on his neck, they threw him in a deep valley on the ghat, the police said.

The prime accused in the case is a postgraduate in software, and another, a graduate in business administration. All of them were in their early 20s. Meanwhile, in the attempt to retrieve the body of Muthuvijayan, the police found another body, that of a 45-year-old man.

Keywords: MaduraikidnapmurderKodaikanal