The city police on Friday arrested a cab driver on charges of killing a 32-year-old owner of a private cab agency in Adambakkam with who he was having an affair.
Usharani (32), a native of Kumbakkonam and resident of Thillai Ganga Nagar was killed by her lover Ghouse Badsha (28), a resident of Santhome and driver working at her firm.
When Usharani’s uncle, Gurunathan, visited her late on Thursday, he found her body lying with the hands and mouth tied and clothes disheveled. The doors to her apartment were left open.
Gurunathan alerted Adambakkam police, who arrived at the scene and lifted clues from the spot. The body was sent to the Chromepet Government Hospital for post-mortem.
After initial inquiries, police learnt that Ghouse Badsha, a resident of Santhome and cab driver working at her firm, was the last person to visit her on Thursday.
The woman was separated from her husband Ravi (40) and she came to Chennai a couple of years ago and started a private cab agency based out of Pazhavanthangal. She subsequently moved to Thillai Ganga Nagar, where she set up her office six months ago.
Usharani became intimate with Ghouse Badsha and he visited her often. When she reportedly insisted that he marry her, the driver decided to walk out of the relationship. But Usharani was persistent and even insisted that he spend more time with her. Badsha reduced his visits and she continued to pester him to marry her. Badsha then decided to kill her.
On Thursday, he visited her and before leaving, he tied her hands and mouth. He then suffocated her with a pillow. After ensuring that she was dead, he fled from the spot.
Police said Ghouse Badsha was already married twice. He had a child with his first wife, who is pregnant now. Meanwhile, he married another woman recently and she too was pregnant.
Usharani had two children from her marriage and both of them were studying in a school in Kumbakkonam.
Ghouse Badsha was picked up by the cops from a hideout. Further investigations are on.