Man Presumed Dead in Fire Found Alive: Shocking Twist in Allanur Village Case

In the early hours of September 16, 2023, a devastating fire engulfed a small hut in Allanur village, located near Chengalpet, south of Chennai. The authorities initially believed the fire to be a tragic accident, but the case took a shocking turn by the end of December when it was discovered that the presumed victim, Suresh R, is actually alive.

Suresh R, a 38-year-old physical trainer, had recently relocated from Chennai to his village. The charred remains of a male body were recovered by the police, and a woman identified it as her son, Suresh. This led to the assumption that Suresh had tragically lost his life in the fire.

The investigation began at the Orathy police station with limited information about Suresh. He was known to be a separated man who lived alone in the sparsely populated area where the hut was located.

A week before the alleged death of Suresh, his friend Dilli Babu, 39, had mysteriously disappeared. Babu’s family filed a missing person report at the Ennore police station, north of Chennai, on September 23. However, as the investigation into the missing person case yielded no progress, Babu’s family lodged a fresh complaint with the Avadi city police commissionerate and even sought legal intervention by filing a petition in court.

The breakthrough in the case came when the police questioned Babu’s elder brother, Palani. He revealed that Suresh used to frequently visit their house, and Babu would often stay with him. This prompted the police to delve deeper into Suresh’s activities leading up to the fire incident. They discovered that Babu’s phone had been in close proximity to Suresh’s hut in the days preceding the fire.

Amutha, a key witness, came forward with crucial information. She claimed to have seen Suresh in the company of three other individuals around the time of the incident.

A new suspect, Harikrishnan, who was a close associate of Suresh, emerged during the investigation. The police traced Harikrishnan’s phone number to Vellore and proceeded to search for him. Upon reaching a house in Arakkonam near Vellore, the authorities were astonished to find not only Harikrishnan but also Suresh.

During intense questioning, Suresh confessed to a diabolical plot. He admitted to staging his own death in order to fraudulently claim a Rs 1 crore insurance payout. Over the past two years, Suresh had paid more than Rs 50,000 in insurance premiums. Initially, he had planned to obtain an unclaimed body from a government hospital, exploiting the services of organizations that assist with the funerals of unidentified bodies. Suresh subsequently reconnected with his former acquaintance, Babu, who, along with his family, had been Suresh’s tenant a decade ago. This rekindled friendship proved pivotal in the unfolding events.

On September 9, Harikrishnan and Babu visited Suresh’s house in Allanur village, where they were joined by a local youth named Keerthi Rajan, 23. The group had been consuming alcohol during this period. On September 13, Suresh revealed his plan to Harikrishnan and Rajan. It was Rajan who targeted Babu on the evening of September 15 when he was intoxicated. They strangled Babu with a generator string and set his body, along with the hut, ablaze in the early hours of the following day, using petrol. The intention was to pass off the charred remains as Suresh’s.

Rajan, who worked as a taxi driver in Vellore, has also been arrested. All three suspects, including Suresh, have been remanded in judicial custody as of Monday morning.