CHENNAI: Two weeks after an elderly woman, who was living alone, was found killed in her house at Chengalpattu, the police have arrested two young persons who were working at a hotel hardly 200 feet away from the victim’s house.
S Anusya, 68, a retired head nurse of Kilpauk Medical College Hospital, was found murdered in her house at JCK Nagar at Chengalpattu on August 4 with her throat slit and about six sovereigns of gold jewellery that she was wearing missing. Amidst a series of such murders of senior citizens by robbers in Chennai city, the Kancheepuram police formed a special team to investigate the murder.
On Wednesday, the district police claimed it has achieved a breakthrough with the arrest of both the killers and recovery of the robbed jewellery.
“One of accused, Prasanth, was working in a hotel close to the victim’s house and had noticed her wearing the jewellery. As she was living alone and used to keep the main door open, they found her as a easy target,” said superintendent of police Vijayakumar.
The arrested persons were identified by the police as S Prasanth, 21, and K Tamilarasan, 25, both hailing from Ariyalur district and working in the hotel at Chengalpattu.
The murder came to light on August 4 when a few relatives of Anusya went to her house. She was found dead with her throat slit. Police said, the two accused had committed the murder on the previous night between 10.45 pm and 11 pm.
The initial suspicion fell on these two workers after police officials reviewed the CCTV camera footage in the area.
“The recordings showed two men walking in the area suspiciously, but their faces were not clear. A few locals said they noticed a man working in a biriyani shop moving near the house.
So we took a survey of young persons working in hotels in that area and found Prasanth missing for the last several days. We traced his address and found him in his native village,” said a police officer.
The police said their suspicion was confirmed when they searched his house and found the missing cellphone of Anusya there. “When we grilled him, he confessed to the crime and revealed that Tamilarasan was also involved,” said the officer.
Police said the accused told them that they first switched off the electricity connection for the house and then entered.
“As the victim resisted their efforts, they slit her throat. The motive of the assailants was to to set up a hotel on their own for which they needed money,” the officer said.
Two accused have been remanded in judicial custody. Anusya, who was separated from her husband for several years, was living in the house belonging to his son in-law even as her son and daughters were living elsewhere.