CHENNAI: In a murder for gain, a 72-year-old woman was found dead in her apartment on Pantheon Road in Egmore on Thursday night. Police said that the murderers reportedly chopped off her earlobes to steal gold ear rings weighing around four grams. The assailants also stole the victim’s cellphone.
According to sources, Sharadha, a native of Thrissur in Kerala, had been living with her niece Dhanya (20), a post graduation students at a city college.
Sharadha, a widow, was the elder sister of Dhanya’s father Divakar, who presently is in Muscat.
On Thursday night, Dhanya returned home at 9.45 pm, and found Sharadha lying in a pool of blood in their flat on the third floor of the nine-storey building.
“As soon as the girl found her aunt’s body, she began shouting out for help. The body was moved to the Government Royapettah Hospital,” said an investigating officer.
Sources said that the family had been staying in the apartment for the last three years. The building has around 40 commercial offices and 12 residential flats.
The incident came as a shock for the residents in the apartment located in heart of the city, just a few meters from the office of joint commissioner of police. Forensic experts lifted finger print experts from the flat and sniffer dogs too were pressed into service.
“The third floor, where the family lived, has two flats, one rented out by a logistics firm and another by a group of people who are working in a star-hotel. The logistics firm opposite to the flat closes by 6.30 pm,” said a security guard at the complex.
Dhanya had told the police that she visited home for lunch and and left for college. She had phoned her aunt at 8.30 pm and informed that she was on her way home. The police are investigating the visitors to the apartment between 8.30 pm and 9.45 pm.
The police have collected the details of all the tenants at the apartment complex and details of the employees at the offices functioning in the complex.
“There are three CCTV cameras installed in the building - at the entrance, near the lift and the back entrance that leads to the parking space. However, the CCTV near the lift is under repair,” added the security guard.