43-yr-old murders septuagenarian mom, attempts suicide

The deceased, Saraswathi (72), was widowed after her husband Balakrishnan died just two weeks ago due to an age-related ailment. The accused, Ethiraj alias Ramesh, who lived with his parents after separating from his wife eight months ago, is undergoing treatment at Government Royapettah Hospital and is said to be in a critical condition.

Ethiraj’s neighbours at Sai Nagar in Pallikaranai woke up to his cries in the early hours of Wednesday. When they rushed to his house, they saw him trying to remove a knife from his abdomen. They were also shocked to see his mother lying in a pool of blood with her neck slashed.

They immediately alerted Pallikaranai police station as well as the 108 ambulance helpline. Ambulance staff who rushed to the spot declared Saraswathi dead and took Ethiraj to Government Royapettah Hospital, where he was admitted to the intensive care unit. “He remains unconscious,” said police. Meanwhile, Pallikaranai police retrieved Saraswathi’s body and sent it to Chromepet Government Hospital for post-mortem examination.

Preliminary inquiries revealed that Ethiraj, who does menial jobs for a living, was depressed ever since his wife separated from him due to differences between them. “His father’s death added to his agony and he wanted to end his life. As there would no one to take care of his mother after him, he decided to murder his mother as well,” said police.

Ethiraj has been booked under murder charges and would be arrested after he recovered from the injuries, added police.