Man, wife get double life for raping, killing 4-yr-old

TIRUVALLUR: The Tiruvallur Fast Track Mahila Court sentenced a 68-year-old man and his wife who were arrested under the Pocso Act to double life sentences on Thursday for committing a gruesome murder of a child.

The accused Meenakshi Sundaram and his wife Rajammal (58), residents of Anthony Street in Annanur Car Shed Complex were arrested for raping, killing and hiding the body of a four-year-old child three years ago.

When the minor child, who was their neighbour, came to Meenakshi Sundaram’s home in June 2019, he took her to his room and sexually abused her. When the child began to scream, he panicked and tied a rope around her neck and choked her to death. Immediately, he along with his wife Rajammal tied the child’s body in a sack and kept it in the corner of their home.

When the minor’s parents came in search of her, the couple lied about her whereabouts and joined them in the search. When the girl’s parents went to search outside, the accused immediately took the girl’s body to her home and threw it inside a bucket in their bathroom.

The victim’s parents who discovered her body in their bathroom shortly were horrified to find her assaulted after which they lodged a complaint with Tirumullaivoyal police.

On investigation, it was revealed that Meenakshi Sundaram had committed the gruesome crime and had tried to hide the body with the help of his wife. Following this, the couple were arrested under Pocso Act and lodged in prison.

When the case was heard in the Fast Track Mahila Court in the district on Thursday, Judge Subadra Devi considered the heinous nature of the crime and sentenced the couple to double life imprisonment and a fine of Rs 44,000. She also directed the accused to settle a compensation of Rs 5 lakh to the victim’s parents within a week.