Tribal women's death: Juvenile held for rape, culpable homicide

A day after a tribal woman was found dead without clothes on at Thirukazhukundram in Chengalpattu district, police arrested a 16-year-old boy for rape and culpable homicide not amounting to murder on Saturday putting to rest rumours on the woman being abducted from home, gang-raped and body dumped elsewhere.

While the accused reportedly told police that he fled the spot after the woman, R Jyoti of Vadakkupattu village, fell unconscious while consuming liquor together, a post-mortem report revealed that she died of a heart attack. “We have sent her viscera samples to draft the final report,” said an official.

Police said the deceased woman had an affair with the teen boy, who is her neighbour employed at a scrap shop, for over a year and has been advised by doctors to stay away from alcohol for health reasons.

However, the woman would allegedly often sneak out from the house to consume liquor with the accused, said police.

On Friday too, she stepped out of the house and consumed alcohol with the juvenile after sex when she suddenly collapsed.

Her family members who found her dead without attire alerted Thirukazhukundram police.

Her body was retrieved and sent for post-mortem and a hunt was launched for the absconding minor boy. He was secured from his hideout on Friday night and booked for rape and culpable homicide since he invited the woman and remanded in judicial custody.

The woman was found at least half a kilometre away from her house amidst rocks and police initially thought she could have been abducted when she stepped out to attend nature’s call. The woman has two sons and was working as a daily wage labourer along with her husband Ramu.