SALEM: An elderly couple living alone near Omalur in Salem was found murdered on Sunday night. Preliminary inquiry suggests that they were murdered by robbers for gold jewellery. The deceased were identified as T Jayaraman (85) and his wife J Amaravathi (70), residents of Ramappa Kottai in Gundukal near Omalur.
The couple earned a living by weaving products from coconut fronds and lived in a house adjacent to the main road. However, police sources said there was no other house within a stretch of over 100 metres nearby, making the residence relatively isolated.
The incident came to light after the couple’s grandson, who regularly brought them food, arrived at the house on Sunday night. He found both Jayaraman and Amaravathi lying in pool of blood with severe head injuries and immediately alerted the police.
Police said preliminary inquiry suggests that robbers entered the house and attacked the couple with a wooden log, killing them on the spot. After the murder, they fled with Amaravathi’s gold earrings and two nose studs totally weighing one sovereign. It was not immediately known how many persons were involved in the crime.
The bodies were sent for postmortem and the Deevattipatti police have registered a case. Police are also probing whether there was any other motive behind the crime.