A 50-year-old woman was found murdered near her house in Sivanthangal near Mangadu on Monday night, her head smashed in with a grinding stone. Police suspect a family feud led to the killing.
Mangadu police sources said Kasturi Mahalingam, a resident of Kundrathur Main Road in Sivanthangal, was living alone after her husband died a decade ago. Kasturi made a living by running a chit fund in the locality and was also a wholesale rice dealer. Her three children, including two daughters, are married and live in other parts of the city.
“Around 9 p.m., Kasturi’s daughter Ammu, who lives in Kundrathur, came to visit her mother but found the house locked. She went to the rear of the house and found Kasturi lying in a pool of blood in an open ground nearby. The police was later alerted,” said an investigating officer.
A Mangadu police team reached the spot and carried out a preliminary probe. The police believe she was killed using the grinding stone which was spotted next to her body.
Fingerprint experts combed the crime scene for clues. Kasturi’s body was sent for post-mortem to the Government Kilpauk hospital and was handed over to her family members on Tuesday.
Investigators said that Kasturi had a long-standing dispute with some of her family members, including her daughters. Her children have been questioned. Police are also looking into whether she had any disagreements over money with her clients.
