CHENNAI: In a case reminiscent of a cinematic twist, the Greater Chennai Police on Saturday arrested the elder brother of a 19-year-old youth who was murdered the previous night, a few hours after their mother had surrendered to the police confessing to the crime.
Preliminary probe by Vadapalani police found something amiss, and sustained interrogation led them to uncover that the woman took the blame for her son as he was due to get married in two months.
On Friday night, Mugil (19), a casual labourer, returned home to Periyar Pathai in Choolaimedu allegedly reeking of alcohol and ganja and got into a fight with his mother Pramila (47), threatening to beat her up.
Addicted to alcohol and ganja, Mugil was also an accused in a few petty crimes and often beat up his mother, police said.
Separated from her husband, Pramila is mother of three sons with the eldest living separately while Mugil and his elder brother Vasantha Kumar (26), a construction labourer, lived with her.
Initially when Pramila surrendered before the police on Saturday morning, she told them that she had slit Mugil’s throat after he threatened to kill her.
Police sent Mugil’s body for post mortem to the ESIC hospital in KK Nagar, visited the scene of crime and collected CCTV footage which showed Vasantha Kumar and his friend Kannan leaving the house early in the morning. When things didn’t tally up, they began a sustained interrogation of Pramila who then revealed the truth.
Vasantha Kumar, who was fed up with his brother constantly abusing his mother, had planned to kill him. On Friday night, he allegedly executed it with his friend Kannan. Police said the wounds on Mugil’s neck led them to the suspicion that Pramila might not have been the killer as doctors said they were deep and looked like it were inflicted by a man.
Vasantha Kumar and Kannan were arrested on Saturday afternoon. Pramila was also arrested for trying to shield the suspects.