CHENNAI: A land broker and his associate, an auto driver, have been arrested for allegedly murdering a 70-year-old woman at Surapattu near Ambattur and fleeing with her jewellery. The police said the duo had targeted the woman, D Ponnammal, as she had recently signed a deal to sell a parcel of land that she owns.
The suspects have been identified as Palani alias Selvam alias Khaja Moideen alias Madhavan (44), a land broker from Surapattu, and Thulasidas (51), an autorickshaw driver from Vyasarpadi. According to the police, Palani was the intermediary in the land deal and was aware that Ponnammal had received the advance amount. Investigators suspect that Palani and Thulasidas believed the entire sum was kept inside the house and conspired to rob the woman who had been living alone at her house on Thulukkanandhamman Kovil 7th Street in Surapattu since the death of her husband Damodaran in 2006.
Investigators said Ponnammal owned a 17-cent plot worth around Rs 1.5 crore near Surapattu bus stand, and had recently entered into an agreement to sell the property. She allegedly received an advance amount of Rs 31 lakh, of which Rs 5 lakh each was transferred to her six daughters, while she kept with her the remaining Rs 1 lakh.
The police said the duo reached Ponnammal’s house in an autorickshaw around 7.45 pm on Thursday, entered the house, tied her hands and legs with cloth and strangled to death her before ransacking the house in search of cash.
However, upon failing to find the money, the suspects allegedly stole the bangles and earrings worn by the victim and fled the scene in the autorickshaw around 8.45 pm. The police said the suspects allegedly were involved in a minor accident while escaping from the locality.
Based on the information received from the public, the Ambattur police rushed to the spot and found Ponnammal lying dead inside the house with her hands and legs tied. The body was later sent to the Kilpauk Medical College Hospital for postmortem examination.
With the help of CCTV footage, the police identified and arrested the two. The stolen jewellery was also recovered from them.
A case was registered at the Pudur police station under Section 103 of BNS based on a complaint lodged by one of the six daughters of the victim. Both suspects have been remanded in judicial custody.
