Seven persons, including an MDMK worker, have been arrested in connection with the murder of a local cable tv operator-cum-distributor in 2005, police said.
MADURAI: Seven persons, including an MDMK worker, have been arrested in connection with the murder of a local cable tv operator-cum-distributor in 2005, police said.
Business rivalry was the motive for the murder, DSP Rajendiran, who headed the CB-CID investigation team, told newsmen here on Wednesday.
Police said the seven were arrested on Wednesday.
The sources said Velmurugan, Chandrasekaran (MDMK functionary and advocate-wing secretary) A.T.Mathiazhagan and Balamurugan had engaged gangsters to murder Gandhi, Vaigai TV owner.
Sundararajan and Kannan had guided the gangsters to Gandhi's office and helped them identify him.Mujiburrahman had driven their car which was seized from the place where the murder took place on December 16,2005.
According to CB-CID DSP,the case was investigated from various angles,based on a complaint given by Gandhi's brother
Velmurugan felt that Gandhi, a monopoly operator, was overcharging Head-end (local area) cable operators taking signals from Vaigai cable TV, like him. Velmurugan's brother had allegedly attacked the Vaigai TV office in 2003 angry over Gandhi's "exploiting attitude".
A case was already pending in connection with the attack.
Police said Gandhi had also earned Chandrasekaran's wrath, while collecting subscription fee and scuttled his attempt to buy another Cable TV network. Similarly Mathiazhagan also suffered loss in cable business due to Gandhi's "interference and autocratic business attitude," police said.
The sources said this led Velmurugan, Chandrasekaran,and Mathiazhagan to "finish off" Gandhi.They had paid 1.25lakh to the gang members to carry out the murder.
Police said 12 persons were involved in the murder. Of them two persons died,and three others were absconding.
According to CB-CID, Gandhi as a monopoly operator had enemies in almost all the southern districts for his rigid attitude in collecting subscription fee and disconnecting the cable using musclemen.
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