CHENNAI: A 60-year-old woman staying alone in an individual house at T Nagar, the shopping hub of Chennai, was found dead this morning with her hands gagged and throat slit, suggesting a pre-planned murder.
Relatives of the victim, Shanthi, visited the house at Habibullah Road this morning as she did not attend their phone calls since the Deepavali night, and were shocked by what they saw inside the house.
Police officers who visited the spot suspect Shanthi could have been murdered by robbers since her close relatives said about 60 sovereign of gold jewellery was missing from the house.
Family members told police that it was on Saturday night that Shanthi last spoke to them over the phone.
Police are looking at CCTV footage from the houses on the street for leads, and investigation is on.
Chennai has witnessed several such cases in the past where elderly people staying alone in the house end up as victims. In some cases, the perpetrators turned out to be close relatives or acquaintances.