RAMANATHAPURAM: A 36-year-old man was arrested for hacking his wife and mother-in-law to death with a machete in Vaigai Nagar on Thursday. The deceased were identified as Sharmila Thakur (30) and her mother Padmavathi (48). The suspect was identified as Chellamuthu (36), of Mariamman Koil Street.
As per the complaint lodged by Sharmila’s brother Prabhu, the couple had a love marriage in 2014 and had two children. They had been living separately due to marital discord. Sharmila had been staying in a rented house for the past three months with her daughter. Sharmila’s mother Padmavati was staying with her.
Around 8 am on Thursday, Sharmila went to drop her daughter at the school van when she saw Chellamuthu approaching with a weapon. She ran back towards the house, but the suspect chased her, hacked her repeatedly on the staircase, and then entered the house and attacked Padmavathi. While Sharmila died on the spot, Padmavathi, who had sustained grievous injuries, later succumbed to her injuries at GH.