Police said that prima facie evidence suggests ‘murder for gain’ as the motive, given that the victim’s jewelry is missing

Updated on: Sep 1, 2026, 15:21:24 IST

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Three persons were arrested in connection with the murder of a woman whose dismembered body parts, concealed in two bags and kept in the overhead water tanks on the roofs of two houses in Tamil Nadu’s Salem district were recovered on Tuesday, police said.

According to police, when a foul smell emanated from the water, Ramesh, a priest living in Salem’s Gunabalan street in Arisipalayam, along with his son, inspected the water tank and found a plastic bag containing human limbs.

Police said Ramesh had gone on a trip to Kumbakonam and returned on Monday.

They immediately alerted the Pallapatti police, who rushed to the scene. Investigation revealed that the dismembered body parts belonged to a woman aged between 35 and 40 years, police said. Police also recovered another bag from a neighbour’s roof.

“The two bags were seized and have been sent to the district government hospital for an autopsy,” an officer said, requesting anonymity.

Police said that prima facie evidence suggests ‘murder for gain’ as the motive, given that the victim’s jewelry is missing.

“After committing the murder the suspects could not move the body parts because the area is densely populated. Fearing they might be seen, the bodies were kept in the overhead water tank,” the officer said.

Police along with the forensic department launched a probe, they said.

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