Duo murders woman as she refuses them money for liquor

Two construction labourers murdered a 35-year-old woman after she refused to give them money to buy liquor. They had invited the woman to Tiruverkadu on the promise of getting her a job. The suspects fled to their hometown in Tiruvannamalai after dumping her body near Chembarambakkam lake, said the Tiruverkadu police after arresting them.

The deceased was identified as Dhanalakshmi, wife of Kovilan (40) from Mathiravedu near Tiruverkadu. Both of them worked as construction labourers. The couple has two children. The murder accused, Chakravarthy (34) and Elumalai (41), were also into construction work and stayed in Tiruverkadu.

“On Monday, the duo asked Dhanalakshmi to come to Poonamallee for work. Since she did not return home in the evening, Kovilan tried to contact Chakravarthy and Elumalai, but in vain. On Tuesday, Kovilan lodged a complaint,” said the Tiruverkadu police, who investigated the case.

A special team traced the duo to their hideout in Tiruvannamalai with the help of their mobile phone location and secured them for interrogation. While they initially claimed that they dropped her off near Tindivanam, during further grilling, they admitted murdering her as she refused to part with money to buy liquor. The body was retrieved from the bushes after they identified the spot on Wednesday and sent for post-mortem examination.

The investigation officer said, “The woman and the accused went to Poonamallee but they could not find any work. Then, Chakravarthy, who is known to Dhanalakshmi, invited her to fish in Chembarambakkam lake before going home. She went with them and while they were fishing, the duo asked her for money to buy liquor. When she refused, they attacked her and pushed her face into the sludge. After she died, they dumped her body and fled to Tiruvannamalai, after removing her thali (mangalsutra). They pledged the jewels to buy liquor.” The jewels were seized from them.

The duo was booked on the charges of murder for gain and remanded in judicial custody.