Three held in Salem for murder, chopping body of woman found in water tanks
Salem police arrest three, including a woman, for murdering Thangamani and disposing of her chopped body in water tanks.
The Salem City Police have solved the murder of a 52-year-old woman whose dismembered body was discovered in overhead water tanks in a residential area. Three people, including a young woman, have been arrested in connection with the crime.
The victim has been identified as Thangamani, wife of Jeevanandam, from Thadanur in Mettupatti, Salem. She had been missing since August 28, 2026.
The body parts were found after a resident of Gunapala Ramasamy Street in Arisipalayam, Ramesh, noticed a foul smell in his tap water. Upon inspecting his overhead tank, he found a gunny bag containing human remains. Two more such bags were recovered from tanks in adjacent houses.
Police investigations led to the arrest of N. Nandhini (27) of Veeranam, M. Malik Basha (29) of Alagapuram, and K. Sivaram (29) of Kuranguchavadi.
According to a police press release, Nandhini and Malik Basha had been in a relationship for five years and were in need of money. They allegedly planned to kill Thangamani, whom Nandhini knew, to steal her gold jewellery. Sivaram, a friend of Basha, allegedly assisted them.
On August 28, Nandhini lured Thangamani to her aunt Prabhavathi's house on the pretext of arranging domestic work. There, Nandhini and Malik Basha allegedly struck Thangamani on the head with a wooden log, killing her. They then stole her jewellery, and with Sivaram's help, cut the body into pieces, packed them in gunny bags, and hid them in three water tanks of nearby multi-storeyed buildings.