CHENNAI: The investigation into the murder of a home-alone woman at Vepery, which was initially considered as the handiwork of robbers, has taken a surprise turn with the police now having reasons to suspect the victim’s husband.
A footage recorded by a CCTV camera installed in a nearby building shows a man entering the house on Friday, the day when H Manju Devi was found dead in a pool of blood and a huge quantity of gold jewellery was missing from the house.
Police sources said the man seen entering and leaving the house, in the footage, was suspected to be Manju’s husband Hemanth Raj.
“Hemanth Raj has several things to explain before we can be certain that he has no role in the crime. Coincidentally, there were serious disagreements between his and his wife recently. Also, he could not explain where he was that evening and initially tried to conceal his visit to the house,” said a police source.
Investigators suspect that Hemanth Raj could have taken away the jewellery from the house to make it appear like a murder by robbers. Police officials said they were corroborating the version by Hemanth Raj to ascertain the facts in the case.
The killing of Manju Devi sent shock waves across the city as it was the ninth consecutive murder in the city within a week.