An 18-year-old housemaid was strangulated to death by her former boyfriend in the backyard of a farmhouse where she was working in Velichai village near Kelambakkam, during the wee hours of Wednesday.
Police said Selvanayaki (18), a native of Posampatti village, in Pudukkottai district, went out to set the food for the dogs in the 40 acres vast farmhouse owned by a couple, Suguna and Panneerselvam, around 8 pm as usual on Tuesday.
Since Selvanayaki did not return after she left with the food for dogs, Suguna went looking for the maid. She found Selvanayaki lying unconscious in the backyard with strangulation marks on her neck. She alerted her husband Panneerselvam who alerted the Kelambakkam Police.
Cops immediately arrived at the spot and after interrogations with the workers revealed that Kannan who was working in a neighbouring farm had become close with Selvanayaki without the knowledge of their bosses and the girl broke the relationship as it turned sour.
She was reportedly getting close to another youth in the farm, which irked Kannan. Kannan. He quarrel with Selvanayaki for ditching him and later strangulated her to death after she refused to renew ties with him. Later, Kannan confessed to have committed the crime.