CHENNAI: An 80-year-old woman was found murdered inside her apartment in T Nagar on Friday. The police arrested her domestic help, Ammu (31), and detained two men suspected to be involved in the crime for questioning. The police recovered gold jewellery weighing 12 sovereigns from the suspects. Efforts are on to trace the remaining valuables.
The deceased has been identified as Radha, a widow. The police said she had been living alone in the house for some seven years.
Sources said on Friday Ammu came to Radha’s apartment around 10 am and raised an alarm after the elderly woman did not respond to repeated knocks. A neighbour called the woman’s son Ramji, a retired pilot, who lives a few kilometres away. Upon reaching the house, Ramji found his mother dead on the sofa, with injuries on her face and neck and a pillow lying near the body.
During preliminary investigations, the Pondy Bazaar police found she could have been murdered at least 12 hours ago. The police said CCTV in the victim’s apartment building was not working.
The suspects took advantage of these circumstances to execute the murder. However, the footage from a neighbouring building showed two men entering the area and leaving soon after. Inquiries revealed Radha was murdered between 4 pm and 6 pm on Thursday, when Ammu delivered food to her. The police said Ammu had allegedly conspired with the two men to kill Radha and steal her jewellery. Silver articles and other valuables are yet to be recovered. Further probe is on.
The elderly woman’s eldest son is in the US and her daughter works in New Delhi.