Home-alone elderly woman strangled in Kancheepuram, gold worth Rs 7 lakh stolen; cops question north Indian tenants
The murder victim, Suguna, was residing alone as her daughter is settled in Chennai after marriage. She lived on the ground floor while the floor above was rented out to a group of youth from north India.
Visuals from the spot
CHENNAI: A 65-year-old woman, who was living alone in her house in a village near Walajabad, was strangled by unidentified persons on Monday night.
The robbers also took away gold jewellery worth Rs 7 lakh, said sources, adding that the police were conducting inquiries with three youth from northern State who were staying on the top floor of the same house that the deceased had rented to them.
The murder victim, Suguna, was residing alone as her daughter is settled in Chennai after marriage. She lived on the ground floor while the floor above was rented out to a group of youth from north India.
Around 8 am on Tuesday, neighbours sensed something amiss, as the main door of Suguna’s house was left open but there was no ‘kolam’ drawn in front of the house as is her routine.
Growing suspicious, some of her neighbours went inside and saw her body inside. The gold ornaments that she always wear, including chain and bangles, were missing and the cupboard in the house was broke open and the contents scattered.
The neighbours immediately alerted the Walajabad police station and a team from there rushed to the house. After the officials sought their assistance, fingerprint experts from Kancheepuram also came to the house and recorded the prints found on the door, cupboard and other places inside the house.
During their investigation, the officials learnt that the jewels, weighing around 12 sovereigns and worth about Rs 7 lakh, were looted by the unidentified killers.
The village administration office, fair price shop, Anganwadi, etc. are located in close proximity to her house, due to which there are always people in the neighbourhood – making it difficult for an unknown person to come there undetected, officials noted. Also, the door was open and not broken, which raised the suspicion that Suguna knew the killers.
Considering these factors, the police began investigating those whom she was acquainted to.
The officials are now questioning the youth from north India who are living on the first floor of Suguna's house. They were taken to the Walajabad police station where they are being questioned, sources said.