Assam native Ameer Ali, whose torso was found inside a suitcase at Perambur railway station on June 5, has joined a list of at least 16 such ‘beheading’ cases reported across the state in the past 10 years. Police and forensic experts say the murderers dismember victims and dispose of body parts at different locations to delay identification of the deceased, and use the time to flee.Some of the cases stemmed from personal disputes, while others were linked to caste-based rivalries. The murders of actors Sasi Rekha in 2016 and Sandhya in 2019 arose out of personal relationships. Sasi Rekha was killed by her husband, film producer Ramesh Sankar, and parts of her body were thrown in a dumpster at Nandambakkam. Sandhya was murdered by her husband, producer Balakrishnan, at Jafferkhanpet.Retired forensic expert S Prabhakaran said recovering the victim’s head is often crucial in securing a conviction because it helps establish identity. In the Sandhya murder case, investigators confirmed the victim’s identity through a tattoo mark on her hand.TN witnessed a series of beheadings during Sept 2021, many of which were linked to caste tensions. Nirmala Devi, who had sheltered suspects in the murder of Dalit leader Pasupathi Pandian, was killed by a gang, and her severed head was later recovered near Pasupathi Pandian’s residence at Nandhavanathur Patti village near Dindigul on Sept 21, 2021.Two days later, one Stephen Raj was murdered and beheaded by motorcycle-borne assailants at Anumantharayan Kottai, where his severed head was left at the crime scene.On Sept 13, 2021, Sankara Subramanian, a man from thevar community who was accused in the 2013 murder of a dalit man named Manthiram, was decapitated. His head was dumped at a cremation ground in Gopalasamudram in Tirunelveli district. In an apparent retaliatory killing, Mariappan, was murdered on Sept 15, 2021, and his severed head was placed at the location where Sankara Subramanian was killed.Former police officer Bala Shanmugam said accused persons sometimes bury the victim’s head after decapitation to delay identification and gain time to evade investigators or prepare a defence before questioning.
