Woman bludgeoned to death at home, hubby bound and dumped

The woman was identified as Priya (23), wife of Prabhu, a priest of the Sivan temple, residing in a rented house on Sivan Koil Street. Two gold chains that the husband and wife were wearing and cash of around Rs 40,000 were reportedly robbed from the victims, said police. 

It was their landlady, Vijayalakshmi, who found Prabhu with his limbs tied inside the common toilet outside the house. She found their house door ajar, and when she went inside looking for Priya, the young woman was found murdered and tied up like her husband. Shocked by the sight, Vijayalakshmi immediately alerted neighbours, and the information soon reached the local police. 

Police shifted Prabhu, who suffered a head injury, to a hospital for treatment, while the body of his wife has been shifted to Royapettah government general hospital for post mortem examination.

During preliminary enquiries, Prabhu told the police that he had come out of the house around 1.30 am to go to the common toilet outside the building. Two men assaulted him, tied his hands and legs and pushed him inside the bathroom, he told the police, adding that he was unconscious till morning. 

Police said initial investigations suggested that the gang attacked Prabhu first before entering the house. Once inside, they assaulted Priya and tied her hands and legs. After this, they took away the valuables and escaped from the spot. 

Officers investigating the case suspect that she could have succumbed to injuries, including those on her head. “Post mortem examination report indicated that the woman was hit by a blunt object — club or iron rod — which led to her death,” said T Nagar Deputy Commissioner P Aravindan. He added that four special teams were formed to nab the murderers.