A 27-year-old man was arrested on Thursday after he surrendered before the Melmangalam Village Administrative Officer on Thursday in a case of rape and murder of a 42-year-old woman in Nagudi police station limits.

The police said the victim was a resident of Karanikadu village. The name of the accused was given as A. Kalidas. The body of the victim was found near a ‘kanmoi’ at Karungulikaadu. The accused allegedly committed the crime when the woman took shelter under a tree during rain a few days ago and escaped from the crime scene.

Five special teams were constituted to probe the case.

Initially, the police treated it as a case of death under suspicious circumstances. But the case was altered under BNS sections including 103 (murder) and 64 (rape) after the accused surrendered. The accused was remanded in judicial custody and lodged in the Pudukottai district jail, said police sources.

MLA’s appeal to CM

Meanwhile, the Aranthangi MLA S.T. Ramachandran on Friday appealed to the Chief Minister to provide solatium to the family of the victim.

He appealed to the Chief Minister to provide government job to one of the family members of the victim on humanitarian grounds.