Punished for honesty with death: woman officer exposed irregularities at LIC office, colleague burned her alive with petrol
Madurai (The Uttam Hindu): A shocking revelation has emerged in the case of a woman officer’s death in a fire at an LIC office in Madurai, Tamil Nadu. Police investigations have confirmed that the incident was not an accident but a pre-planned murder. Tamil Nadu Police have arrested the accused after uncovering crucial evidence.
The deceased has been identified as 54-year-old Kalyani Nambi, a senior LIC officer. According to police, she was set on fire by her colleague T. Ram, who poured petrol on her and burned her alive. The motive behind the murder was to conceal serious financial irregularities that had come to light. The accused, T. Ram, was working as an Assistant Administrative Officer at LIC.
The incident took place in December 2025 at the LIC office located on West Perumal Maistry Street in Madurai. Initially, the fire was believed to have been caused by a short circuit in an air conditioner. However, after a detailed investigation, police ruled it a case of murder.
Kalyani Nambi had recently been transferred from Tirunelveli to Madurai. Soon after taking charge, she detected serious irregularities in the settlement of death claims. Investigations revealed that more than 40 death claim files were pending against Ram. Kalyani had warned him that she would recommend disciplinary action, which reportedly pushed the accused to plan the crime.
Police found that Ram had arranged petrol bottles in advance. On the day of the incident, he cut off the office’s power supply, chained the main door from outside, and trapped Kalyani inside her cabin. He then poured petrol and set the office on fire. During questioning, Ram gave contradictory statements. Under sustained interrogation, he confessed that Kalyani’s probe had put his job at risk, prompting him to kill her. He also admitted attempting to destroy files to erase evidence and even tried to burn himself to make the incident appear accidental, but survived.
The accused was arrested on January 17, 2026, and is currently in police custody while undergoing treatment at a hospital. Police have registered cases against him under serious charges, including murder, destruction of evidence, and misleading investigators.