COIMBATORE: In a horrifying passion crime a 27-year-old youth from Kerala, angered over his romantic relationship having gone sour, beat the girl’s parents and grandmother to death at their home in Gudalur in Nilgiris district on Saturday night. He also attacked the girl who sustained grievous injuries on her hand and forehead. She is undergoing treatment at the Government Hospital in Ooty.
According to police, the accused Lenin of Wayanad was in love with Jyotsna (22), whose family had moved from Kerala and settled at Gudalur.
“The two had fallen in love while pursuing a hotel management course at Lakkidi in Wayanad. Recently, Lenin had met the girl in Kochi where she is working as a trainee at a hotel and harassed her,” New Hope Police Station Special Sub-Inspector Sivaji said. Recently, the girl had snapped the relationship due to Lenin’s alleged misconduct.
On Saturday night, Lenin on learning about Jyotsna’s marriage plans visited her house at Oveli near Gudalur and picked up a quarrel.
Her mother Girjia and grandmother Ammini were there at the house, while her father Joy had gone to a shop. During the course of the argument, Lenin rebuked Jyotsna and asked her to return `60,000, which she had allegedly borrowed from him at different periods of time. “An angry Jyotsna threw her gold chain at Lenin asking him to take it in lieu of the money. This provoked him to attack her,” a police officer said.
Lenin picked an iron rod lying in the house and began to attack the inmates wildly. Girija and Ammini who sustained bleeding injuries on their heads succumbed at the spot. “He also attacked Jyotsna on her forehead but she fended off the blow with her hands and survived,” the officer said.
In the meantime, Jyotsna’s father Joy had returned home and confronted Lenin who indiscriminately attacked him too and escaped from the scene. Neighbours, who rushed to the house on hearing the screams of the victims, took Joy to the Gudalur Government Hospital but he was declared brought dead.
“Lenin took away six sovereigns gold from the three women before fleeing,” Gudalur Deputy Superintendent of Police Thirumeni said. On Sunday, Lenin was arrested and the jewels were recovered from him.