CHENNAI: A 42-year-old man from Sunguvarchathiram in Kancheepuram district was arrested for allegedly murdering his former wife and burying the body in a forest area in Tiruvallur. Police exhumed the body on Saturday in the presence of revenue officials and sent it for postmortem.The accused, Madan, a car driver, was married to Laila Kumari, 36, from Walajabad, for 16 years. They divorced three years ago, and their two children, a son and a daughter, were in Madan’s custody. Madan later married Suganya, 30, also from Walajabad.

Despite the separation, Madan and his first wife reconnected a while ago and began meeting frequently, which led to problems with his second wife, police said. Madan told police that he believed Laila Kumari bewitched him, causing him to resume contact with her.On Aug 4, Madan took Laila Kumari to Thirupandiyur forest in Tiruvallur district. After spending some time with her, he pulled out a knife, slit her throat, and buried her in a shallow grave before returning home, the police said.Two days later, on Aug 6, Laila Kumari’s mother, Vasantha, filed a missing person complaint with Sunguvarchathiram police. On Friday, Madan surrendered at the station, confessing to the murder and burial.Sunguvarchathiram police alerted Tiruvallur district officials about the burial site. At around 10am on Saturday, the body was exhumed in the presence of officials from Tiruvallur district revenue department and sent it to Tiruvallur govt hospital for postmortem. Madan was booked for murder and remanded in judicial custody.