Police have arrested three more students in connection with the murder of Amudhan, a student of Hindustan Engineering College in Coimbatore.This new arrests brings the total number of arrests in the case to nine. Two others have also been arrested in a separate extortion case in which deceased Amuthan was one of the accused.
Coimbatore: Three more students have been arrested in connection with the murder of 19-year-old Amuthan, a third-year engineering student of Hindustan Engineering College in Coimbatore.
Amuthan, a native of Kallakurichi, was assaulted by a group of students near Othakkalmandapam on August 10. He later developed breathing difficulties and was taken to a private hospital in Malumichampatti, where he died while undergoing treatment. The Chettipalayam police subsequently registered a murder case and launched an investigation.
The latest students arrested have been identified as Sriram (21), an Electronics and Communication Engineering student of Hindustan College, and Harish Pandian (20) and Lalith Aditya (20), both second-year B.Sc. Computer Science students of JCT College. All three are natives of Madurai.
A day earlier, six others were arrested in connection with the case — Aramudhan, a fourth-year student from Panruti in Cuddalore district; Aravind, from Manamadurai in Sivaganga district; Siva Rohith, from Needamangalam in Thanjavur district; Mani Balu, from Kunnam in Perambalur district; a 17-year-old minor; and Santhosh, a student from Madurai.
With nine persons now arrested in the murder case, including a minor, most of those taken into custody are college students, some from the same college as the deceased and others from different institutions.
Meanwhile, police have also arrested Haridass (18) from Perambalur district and Udhayakumar (18) from Virudhunagar district, both second-year Automobile Engineering students of Hindustan Engineering College, in connection with a separate extortion case registered under Crime No. 309/2026. Amuthan was also one of the accused in that case, police said.
According to police, the extortion case relates to an earlier incident involving a group of students and is being investigated separately from the murder case. The developments have brought to light a wider chain of incidents involving several students, with investigators examining the sequence of events and the individual roles of those allegedly involved.
The incident has sent shockwaves across Tamil Nadu, particularly in Coimbatore, where a series of murder cases in recent weeks has heightened public concern over law and order. Amuthan’s death also came up in the Tamil Nadu Assembly, where the Opposition Leader sought a fair and comprehensive investigation and called for action against those responsible.
The developments have also raised serious concerns over violence among students and the extent to which disputes between young people can escalate into fatal attacks.
As the investigation progresses and more students, including those from the same college, are being linked to the incidents, questions have also been raised over the college administration’s awareness of the events surrounding Amuthan’s death.
At a recent press conference, the Hindustan College administration, including the Principal and members of its disciplinary committee, maintained that it had no knowledge of what led to Amuthan’s death. The college said Amuthan had been under suspension since July 24 following an alleged assault on a hostel kitchen staff member and was not staying in the college hostel at the time.
The administration also said it was unaware of the alleged student scuffle, the extortion case and other circumstances being examined by the police.
Amuthan, a native of Kallakurichi, was assaulted by a group of students near Othakkalmandapam on August 10. He later developed breathing difficulties and was taken to a private hospital in Malumichampatti, where he died while undergoing treatment. The Chettipalayam police subsequently registered a murder case and launched an investigation.
The latest students arrested have been identified as Sriram (21), an Electronics and Communication Engineering student of Hindustan College, and Harish Pandian (20) and Lalith Aditya (20), both second-year B.Sc. Computer Science students of JCT College. All three are natives of Madurai.
A day earlier, six others were arrested in connection with the case — Aramudhan, a fourth-year student from Panruti in Cuddalore district; Aravind, from Manamadurai in Sivaganga district; Siva Rohith, from Needamangalam in Thanjavur district; Mani Balu, from Kunnam in Perambalur district; a 17-year-old minor; and Santhosh, a student from Madurai.
With nine persons now arrested in the murder case, including a minor, most of those taken into custody are college students, some from the same college as the deceased and others from different institutions.
Meanwhile, police have also arrested Haridass (18) from Perambalur district and Udhayakumar (18) from Virudhunagar district, both second-year Automobile Engineering students of Hindustan Engineering College, in connection with a separate extortion case registered under Crime No. 309/2026. Amuthan was also one of the accused in that case, police said.
According to police, the extortion case relates to an earlier incident involving a group of students and is being investigated separately from the murder case. The developments have brought to light a wider chain of incidents involving several students, with investigators examining the sequence of events and the individual roles of those allegedly involved.
The incident has sent shockwaves across Tamil Nadu, particularly in Coimbatore, where a series of murder cases in recent weeks has heightened public concern over law and order. Amuthan’s death also came up in the Tamil Nadu Assembly, where the Opposition Leader sought a fair and comprehensive investigation and called for action against those responsible.
The developments have also raised serious concerns over violence among students and the extent to which disputes between young people can escalate into fatal attacks.
As the investigation progresses and more students, including those from the same college, are being linked to the incidents, questions have also been raised over the college administration’s awareness of the events surrounding Amuthan’s death.
At a recent press conference, the Hindustan College administration, including the Principal and members of its disciplinary committee, maintained that it had no knowledge of what led to Amuthan’s death. The college said Amuthan had been under suspension since July 24 following an alleged assault on a hostel kitchen staff member and was not staying in the college hostel at the time.
The administration also said it was unaware of the alleged student scuffle, the extortion case and other circumstances being examined by the police.