SI arrested for attempting to murder woman near Dharmapuri

DHARMAPURI: A special branch sub-inspector (SI) was arrested in Dharmapuri district on Monday on charges of attempting to murder a woman by pushing her into a well.The arrested SI has been identified as Rajaram, 54. He allegedly pushed Gomathi, 28, of Vennambatti into a well on Sunday night.

Gomathi is the estranged wife of P Sakthivel, 32, of Papparapatti.

An officer at Adhiyamankottai police station said Sakthivel married Gomathi eight years ago. The couple have a daughter. There were frequent quarrels between the couple. Frustrated over this, Gomathi went back to her parents’ home in Vennambatti with her daughter. In 2023, Sakthivel confronted Gomathi. She approached the Dharmapuri town police to lodge a complaint against him.

An officer on duty advised her to file a complaint at the Papparapatti police station, mentioning that SI Rajaram would assist her."This led to a relationship between Gomathi and Rajaram," the officer said. Rajaram rented a house for Gomathi in Vennampatti Kamaraj Nagar where he visited her frequently. However, once Rajaram's family knew about this, he began to avoid Gomathi, resulting in arguments between them.

Recently, Rajaram met Gomathi and inquired about her horoscope. He informed her that there was an issue with it and suggested that she take water from the well to perform a puja. He invited her to a temple on Sunday evening for the ritual. "While Gomathi was drawing water from the well, Rajaram pushed her into it and left," the officer said. Gomathi held on to a stone in the well and cried for help.On Monday morning, some people heard her cries and saved her. She was admitted to Dharmapuri Government Medical College Hospital. Based on her complaint, the Adhiyamankottai police registered a case and arrested Rajaram.