CHENNAI: A 45-year-old man allegedly killed himself after the police summoned him for an enquiry on Tuesday. The man was named in connection with a sexual assault allegation levelled by the prime accused in the Sowcarpet triple murder case.
The victim identified as Vijaykumar, 45, of Pulianthope, was the nephew of the deceased Dileep Thalil Chand, a financier from Sowcarpet, who was gunned down by a gang led by his daughter-in-law Jayamala on November 11.
Police sources said Jayamala reportedly had accused her father-in-law and his nephew Vijaykumar of sexually assaulting her. According to her statement, the repeated assault from them drove her to leave the home and later she lived in Pune.
Since the family has refused to meet her demands for compensation and filed a criminal case against her, she accompanied by her two brothers and three more associates shot- Dileep Thalil Chand, his wife and son at their house, police said.
Vijaykumar was summoned on Tuesday by a special police team at the Elephant Gate Station which is investigating the triple murder.
However, on Tuesday morning, he jumped off the third floor of the apartment where he lived in RK Nagar. His body was recovered by police and further investigation is on.
On November 11, Dileep Thalil Chand, 74, who ran a finance firm and his wife Pushpa Bhai, 68, and their son, Shithal Kumar, 42, natives of Rajasthan, were found dead at their house on Vinayaga Maestri Street in Sowcarpet.
Police said they were shot at point-blank range by the gang of suspects including his daughter-in-law Jayamala. The family had a long-standing marital dispute with Jayamala. After murdering them, the gang escaped in two cars.
Two days later, after travelling 800 kilometres, a special team arrested three suspects -- Kalaish, 32, a brother of Jayamala and his associates Ravindranath Kher, 25, of Kolkata, and Vijay Uttham Kamal, 28, of Pune, in Solapur, Maharashtra.
Kailash and another suspect confessed to have shot the trio as his sister Jayamala was continuously physically and mentally harassed by the members of the family. Last week, another special team, which was searching for three more accused, nabbed Jayamala, her brother Vikash and his associate Raju Shinde at a hideout near Agra. On Monday, police arrested Raju Dubey an ex-serviceman from Jaipur who allegedly supplied his licensed revolver and his car.
"Jayamala and others have been in judicial custody and will be taken into our custody. Further interrogation will be conducted soon," said a senior police officer.
(Assistance for those having suicidal thoughts is available on Tamil Nadu’s health helpline 104 and Sneha’s suicide prevention helpline 044-24640050)