Madurai, May 28: The prime accused in the murder of senior DMK leader and former Tamil Nadu minister T Kiruttinan today gave himself before a court while police recovered the weapon and the vehicle allegedly used in the killing and arrested four loyalists of DMK leader M K Azhagiri, elder son of party chief M Karunanidhi. Ibrahim Sulaiman Sait, the prime suspect in the case, surrendered before the metropolitan magistrate in Chennai who remanded him to judicial custody till June 20. Sait, allegedly the main man behind Kiruttinan's murder, was understood to have made a statement before the magistrate when he surrendered this morning. Police arrested four persons, including a close associate of Azhagiri who is already arrested on the charge of conspiracy in the case, and the four had confessed to their role in hatching the conspiracy and execution of the crime, a police release said here tonight. Based on their statement, police recovered the weapon and vehicle used in the crime and some blood stained clothes besides some documents.

Tracing the events leading to the May 20 murder, the release said investigation "revealed" the murder was a fall out of differences over the party's organisational elections.

Kiruttinan, former highways minister and a supporter of DMK youth wing leader M K Stalin, younger brother of Azhagiri, was found stabbed to death near his house.

Bureau Report