CHENNAI: A 47-year-old man allegedly murdered his wife and nine-year-old daughter while they were asleep at their residence in Thiru Vi Ka Nagar in the early hours of Sunday. He was arrested later in the day.
Police identified the accused as Srinivasan, a security guard at a private hospital in Anna Nagar. He lived on Devaki Ammal Street in Vetrinagar with his wife Sivaranjini (40), daughter Harini (9), son Pranav (15), and his mother Mythili (65). While Mythili stayed on the ground floor, the rest of the family lived on the first floor.
According to police, Srinivasan had been undergoing treatment for mental health issues for the past two years and was on medication, but had allegedly stopped taking some of it in recent months.
A senior police official told TNIE that the couple frequently quarrelled over his condition. On Saturday night, an argument broke out after Srinivasan returned home from work. During the altercation, Sivaranjini allegedly told him she might return to her parental home and that her family was considering arranging another marriage for her.
Police said the family later went to sleep, after which Srinivasan allegedly attacked his wife and daughter, slitting their throats before fleeing the scene.
On Sunday morning, Pranav, who had been sleeping downstairs with his grandmother, went upstairs and found the bodies in a pool of blood. He alerted his grandmother, who in turn informed the police.
The bodies were sent to a government hospital for post-mortem examination. A case was registered and a search launched to trace the accused.
Police tracked Srinivasan using mobile phone signals. He was located in Ambattur after he attempted to contact his son and was subsequently arrested. The accused has been taken into custody for inquiry and will be produced before a magistrate for judicial remand.