T. Nagar murder: Three arrested, including domestic worker, in killing of 80-year-old woman
The Pondy Bazaar Police have arrested three persons, including a domestic worker, in connection with the murder of an 80-year-old woman who lived alone in an apartment on Kuppusamy Street in T. Nagar. The deceased has been identified as Radha.
According to the police, on Thursday, Radha's son Ramji Yadav, a resident of Besant Nagar, took her to a dental hospital for treatment and later dropped her back home. The following morning, Vijay Adhiraj, who lives in the apartment above Radha's residence, contacted Ramji and informed him that the house was locked and that there was no response despite repeated doorbell rings and phone calls.
Ramji immediately went to his mother's house and opened it using a spare key. He found Radha lying dead with injuries and bleeding from her nose. He also noticed that her gold chain, gold bangle, diamond earrings, gold ring, silver articles, and cash were missing. Based on his complaint, the Pondy Bazaar Police registered a case, recovered the body, and sent it for post-mortem examination.
Investigations revealed that Radha had been living alone and that a woman identified as Menaka alias Ammu had been working as domestic help at her residence for the past five months. During questioning, Menaka allegedly confessed to planning the theft of Radha's jewellery with two male acquaintances, Mouli alias Chandramouli and Manikandan.
The police said that the three went to Radha's house on Thursday evening, strangled her to death, and escaped with the gold jewellery she was wearing. They also stole silver articles kept in the house and ₹2,000 in cash. The police subsequently arrested Menaka, 36, of Vinayagapuram, MMDA Colony, Arumbakkam; Mouli alias Chandramouli, 26, of Teynampet; and Manikandan, 24, of Teynampet.
During the investigation, the police recovered around eight sovereigns of gold jewellery, including a gold chain, bangle and ring, a pair of diamond earrings, silver articles, ₹2,000 in cash, and the two-wheeler allegedly used in the crime. It was also found that Mouli alias Chandramouli had two previous criminal cases registered against him.
The three accused were produced before a court on Saturday and remanded in judicial custody. The case highlights concerns over the safety of elderly citizens living alone, and the police have urged families to ensure regular check-ins and verify the background of domestic help.
