SALEM: Following the death of a 22-year-old Siddha student under mysterious circumstances at her rented residence in Salem on Wednesday, the Salem City police have formed special teams to trace her stepfather. He was named as the prime suspect after investigators established that he was the last person to meet her before her death.
The victim, V Varshini, a native of Tirunelveli district, was a final-year student at a private Siddha medical college in Salem. She was staying in a rented house along with fellow students near the Salem Steel Plant.
While her roommates had gone to their native places, one roommate returned on Wednesday and found the house locked from the outside. She went in and found Varshini dead inside.
The Steel Plant police registered an FIR and sent the body to Government Mohan Kumaramangalam Medical College Hospital for postmortem, which showed asphyxiation as the cause of death.
Police reviewed CCTV footage from the surrounding areas and found that the student's stepfather, Varadarajan, had visited her residence the previous day. It was also found that he had taken her mobile phone and went missing soon after the visit. His whereabouts remain unknown.
Based on these findings, Varadarajan was named the prime suspect and special teams have been formed to trace him. Police said efforts are under way to establish the exact sequence of events leading to Varshini's death.
According to preliminary information, she had completed her higher secondary education in Tirunelveli and was sent to Salem for medical studies after her family opposed her relationship with a taekwondo instructor from Tirunelveli, who is married and has two children.
It is alleged that she had visited Tirunelveli in December but did not meet her parents; instead, she met the taekwondo instructor, following which her stepfather questioned her and later travelled to Salem.