Two Security Guards Murdered During Temple Robbery in Tamil Nadu's Virudhunagar District

Police have transferred the bodies to the government hospital for postmortem examination.

In a tragic incident early Tuesday morning, two security guards were fatally attacked at a temple managed by the Hindu Religious and Charitable Endowments (HR&CE) Department near Rajapalayam in Tamil Nadu's Virudhunagar district. Authorities believe the killings were connected to an attempted theft from the temple's donation box.

The deceased have been identified as 60-year-old Pechimuthu and 50-year-old Sankar Pandian, who were both working as night security personnel at the Nachadai Thavirthu Aruliaswamy Temple. The grim discovery was made around 6:00 AM by Madasamy, a day shift guard, when he arrived to take over his duties.

Madasamy noticed the smaller entrance gate was partially open. Upon entering the premises, he discovered his two colleagues lying in pools of blood with severe cut wounds. The temple's hundi (donation box) appeared to be damaged, suggesting an attempted robbery.

He promptly informed temple officials and law enforcement. Senior police officers quickly arrived at the location and initiated an investigation. Forensic teams were dispatched to gather evidence, and sniffer dogs were employed at the crime scene. Investigators are examining CCTV footage from the temple premises to identify the perpetrators.

A high-ranking officer informed NDTV, "This is clearly a case of murder and robbery involving the temple collection box. We will apprehend the culprits soon. We believe the guards attempted to prevent the theft, resulting in a violent confrontation."

Tension mounted outside the temple as family members of the deceased gathered, demanding that the bodies would not be received until those responsible for the murders were arrested.

Subsequently, police transported the bodies to the government hospital for autopsy procedures.