The police have arrested an autorickshaw driver in connection with the murder of the 55-year-old woman in Madhavaram whose body was found in a bag in Washermanpet.
Hameeda Beevi (55) was a resident of DPK Street in Old Washermenpet and married to Moideen. She had gone missing on March 17. As the family could not trace her, her son Mubarak lodged a complaint with the Washermanpet police station on March 23.
Two days later, the police informed the relatives about a mutilated body that was found in a suitcase on Apollo Armstrong Street in Madhavaram Milk Colony.
A post-mortem established the age of the woman. The relatives identified the body as that of Hameeda’s.
As the victim was involved in property deals, police suspected that a dispute over one such deal might have led to the murder. As a 1.5-sovereign gold chain was missing from her body, police did not rule out a murder for gain.
Once her body was identified, an autorickshaw driver who used to live near her house, went missing. “He was interrogated earlier,” said a police officer. The police grew suspicious of him and nabbed him. During interrogation, the police found that he had pledged Beevi’s chain with a pawn broker.
“He used to borrow money from her frequently for household expenses. When she refused to pay, he strangulated her. Then after cutting the body, he put it inside a bag and waited until night when he dumped it,” said a senior police officer.
