Man held for murdering 81-year-old for money, gold in Chennai

CHENNAI: Police on Monday arrested a 40-year-old man who allegedly murdered an elderly woman for money and gold ornaments in Adambakkam a few days ago.

The deceased was Sivagami Sundari (81) of Thillai Ganga Nagar in Adambakkam who was staying in an apartment with her son.

On Friday morning, Sivagami Sundari's son Sriram and her daughter-in-law Banu went to work and locked the door from outside. Later in the night, when Sriram returned home he went to check on Sivagami as she was sleeping for a long time. Only then he found that she was lying dead with blood bleeding from her nose.

Police said the gold ornaments that Sivagami was wearing were also missing.

The Adambakkam police were informed and the police team that visited the spot browsed the CCTV in the locality and found a man entering the house holding an umbrella around 11 am. The police further when browsing the CCTV in Palavanthangal and St Thomas Mount railway stations found it was one Sakthivel, who had already murdered two women and looted the gold in KK Nagar, was walking out of the station with an umbrella.

The police then detained Sakthivel for inquiry.

Police said in 2021 Sakthivel had murdered Seetha Lakshmi and an elderly woman in KK Nagar in Chennai.

Police said Sakthivel who is married could not find a job and had no money to pay the house rent.

When walking near Thillai Ganga Nagar in Adambakkam he found that an elderly woman was alone in an apartment. On the day of the incident, Sakthivel entered the house pretending like asking for a glass of water, he suffocated the woman to death and escaped with 45 sovereign gold ornaments and Rs 2.5 lakh.

The police recovered the gold ornaments which he sold in a pawn shop in T Nagar and further investigation is on.