The incident took place at the Arulmigu Nachadai Thavirtharuliya Swamy Temple, a well-known shrine under the control of the HR&CE Department.
Published Nov 12, 2025 | 1:05 AM ⚊ Updated Nov 12, 2025 | 1:05 AM
Two temple watchmen murdered during attempted robbery. (Supplied)
Synopsis: Police personnel rushed to the spot after receiving information and sealed the temple premises for investigation. Preliminary inquiries revealed that the temple’s donation box (undiyal) had been broken open. The robbers had also damaged the CCTV cameras and taken away the hard disk containing the surveillance footage before escaping.
Two watchmen guarding a famous temple near Rajapalayam in Virudhunagar district were brutally hacked to death by unidentified robbers during a suspected burglary attempt in the early hours of Tuesday, 11 November.
The incident took place at the Arulmigu Nachadai Thavirtharuliya Swamy Temple, a well-known shrine under the control of the Hindu Religious and Charitable Endowments (HR&CE) Department.
The temple, located in Devathanam village near Rajapalayam, is regarded as one of the Pancha Bhootha Siva temples of South India, representing the element of sky (Aakasha Sthalam).
According to sources, the victims — Pechimuthu, a resident of Devathanam Koil Street, and Sankar Pandian, from Sasta Koil Road North Street — had been working as night watchmen at the temple.
Around 7 am on Tuesday, another temple employee, Madasamy, who was on day duty, opened the temple and found both watchmen lying dead in a pool of blood with multiple cut injuries inflicted by sharp weapons.
Police personnel rushed to the spot after receiving information and sealed the temple premises for investigation. Preliminary inquiries revealed that the temple’s donation box (undiyal) had been broken open. The robbers had also damaged the CCTV cameras and taken away the hard disk containing the surveillance footage before escaping.
The bodies were sent to the Rajapalayam Government Hospital for post-mortem examination.
A police team led by Virudhunagar Superintendent of Police Kannan, along with two Additional Superintendents of Police, Rajapalayam DSP Pazeena Begum, Srivilliputhur DSP Raja, and other officers, inspected the crime scene. Madurai Range DIG Abhinav Kumar also visited the site and reviewed the investigation.
A forensic team and a sniffer dog squad were brought in from Virudhunagar to collect clues.
Police sources said that while cash from the temple’s undiyal and CCTV recording equipment were stolen, the temple jewels remained safe, as they were stored separately in a secured location inside the village.
The double murder and attempted robbery at this prominent HR&CE temple have shocked residents of the area, raising concerns about inadequate night security at heritage temples.
BJP former president Annamalai has condemned this attack and slamed DMK government over failing law and order in Tamil Nadu.
(With inputs from Subash Chandra Bose)
