Residents shocked as man carries mother’s body on two-wheeler

A few passers-by noticed a couple pushing a two-wheeler with the body of an old woman towards the Virugambakkam electric crematorium in the wee hours of Monday. Shocked by this, they alerted police, who came to the spot and interrogated the couple, Kannan and Santhi. 

The couple told police that the deceased was Kannan’s mother Bhuvaneshwari (85) and that they did not have money hold a funeral ceremony or hire a mortuary van to transport her body to the crematorium. 

The couple, hailing from Uthamapalayam near Cumbum, were staying at Vembuliamman Koil Street in Virugambakkam. They have two sons – Arunkumar and Ajithkumar. The family had moved to Chennai a few years ago after Arunkumar found a job and took a house for Rs 11,000 monthly rent. They also brought Bhuvaneshwari, who was left in a shelter home near their hometown. 

However, Arunkumar got married recently and decided to move away from them. Since then, the family was struggling financially, as their younger son Ajithkumar only earns Rs 7,500. Since the family couldn’t pay the rent for the last two months, the landlord had reportedly asked them to vacate the premises. 

Meanwhile, Bhuvaneshwari, who suffered seizures, died on Sunday night. After Kannan’s brothers in Cumbum allegedly refused to help him to conduct the funeral, the couple decided to take Krishnaveni’s body on the two-wheeler, they told the police. 

Virugambakkam police who intercepted them transferred the case to KK Nagar police. Krishnaveni’s body was sent to Government Royapettah Hospital for autopsy. 

However, Kannan’s brothers who saw the news on TV channels contacted him and agreed to conduct the funeral at their hometown, after which Kannan and family hired an ambulance to take Krishnaveni’s body to Cumbum.