ERODE: An elderly couple living alone in a farmhouse near Sivagiri in the district was found dead with injuries on Thursday night. The deceased were identified as R Ramasamy (75) and his wife Bhagyalakshmi (65) of Vijayanagaram near Vilakethi in Sivagiri.
“The bodies were in a decomposed state and the couple could have been murdered a few days ago,” police said. This is the third such murder in the western region in the last two years.
Erode Superintendent of Police A Sujatha told TNIE that around 10 sovereigns of gold jewellery may have been burgled and 10 special teams have been formed to arrest the culprits.
Police said, “The couple’s son Kavi Sankar, a businessman, and daughter Banumathi live with their respective families in Tiruppur district. The couple lived alone.”
“On Thursday night, Kavi Sankar tried to call his father on his mobile phone, but there was no response. After trying repeatedly, he asked a relative who lives nearby to check on his parents,” sources said.
No weapon found at crime scene: Cops
“The relative, who visited the spot, saw the couple beaten to death inside the house,” police said.
“The house is located inside a coconut grove. There are no surveillance cameras. The nearest house is at least 200 metres away. The couple’s pet dog had died just 15 days ago. A gang must have closely monitored the house before executing the crime. The culprits may have used the irrigation channel that runs near the grove to escape after committing the crime,” sources said.
On information, the Sivagiri police rushed to the spot. West Zone IG S Senthilkumar, DIG V Sasimohan, Erode SP A Sujatha and other officials, too, visited the spot. “We suspect that they were beaten to death with a blunt weapon, but no weapon was found at the site,” a police officer said.
On Friday, family members and relatives held a protest near the Government Medical College Hospital in Perundurai, where the bodies were taken for postmortem, demanding the immediate arrest of the culprits.
They initially refused to accept the bodies, but after ADSP M Vivekanandan promised to arrest the murderers within a month, they accepted the bodies. Modakurichi BJP MLA C Saraswathi and BJP functionaries extended support to the protesters.
Meanwhile, AIADMK general secretary Edappadi K Palaniswami, TN BJP president Nainar Nagenthran, PMK chief Anbumani Ramadoss, and others condemned the murder and urged the state government to arrest the culprits immediately.
Tamilaga Vivasayigal Pathukappu Sangam and other farmer associations, too, condemned the murder. Speaking to reporters in Erode, Minister S Muthusamy said, “Appropriate action is being taken by the police.”
In a similar incident in November last year, three people were beaten to death at a farmhouse at Semalaigoundanpalayam in Tiruppur district. The culprits have not yet been arrested.
On September 9, 2023, in Chennimalai in Erode, an 85-year-old farmer and his 80-year-old wife, who lived alone in a farmhouse, were beaten to death, and the murderers decamped with 15 sovereigns of jewels and cash.