Chennai, May 27 (IANS): Three people have been arrested over the murder of a temple priest in Madurai, police said on Friday.

On Thursday, 52-year-old Lakshmanan, who was also a government employee, was attacked while he was on his way to the Kalaimannan temple on a motorbike.

According to the police, the arrested persons are close relatives of the victim, who held a grudge against him for getting the 'parivattam' (first respect) during festivals.

Lakshmanan's father had two wives and his half-brother Gopal's sons, G. Saravanan (25) and G. Singam (23) did not like Lakshmanan getting the parivattam and they believed that their father had the right to receive it, the police said.

The duo along with their friend Manikandan waited for Lakshmanan who had a routine of going to the temple early in the morning.

When they saw him, the three pounced on the victim and hacked him to death.

Madurai Police told IANS that all three are under custody and they are also probing the role of Gopal in the case.

If Gopal is found to be a part of the conspiracy, he will be arraigned and taken into custody, the police added.